Amazing Grace

After reading this intriguing biography I was stunned that I had heard so little about William Wilberforce in my history classes as a child. An entry in his diary notes the following: “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners.” An English politician and a committed Christian, Wilberforce worked hard during the late 1700s and into the 1800s to eliminate the slave trade from the British Empire. To say that I shed 1000 tears just might be an understatement when I reviewed the many gruesome aspects associated with the slave trade. But I also smiled a lot as I read details about his zany household including several animals he kept. A passionate animal lover, he helped establish the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1824 among his many efforts to improve his society. The Amazing Grace movie aptly portrays his story, but for insight into his longsuffering drive to abolish slavery this well researched biography is a worthwhile read. Wilberforce was an inspiration to Abraham Lincoln and a true hero in history.