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March 26, 2007

This past weekend marked the 200th anniversary of Britain's Slave Trade Act of 1807. The recent film, Amazing Grace, captured well the fervor and religious zeal of William Wilberforce, and offered a brief, refreshing reprieve from Kevin Phillips' alarms of the slavery that is Christianity.

Interestingly, the Slave Trade Act of 1807 did not bring the result heralded today. It simply levied a heavy tax for each slave found on a ship flying the British flag. In many cases British ships would continue to transport slaves for trade; if the British navy paid a visit, many captains would simply throw the slaves overboard rather than pay the tax. It was not until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which ordered the immediate freedom of every slave in the Empire under the age of six, and the graduated freedom, over a period of four years with graduated compensation as well, for every slave in the Empire over the age of six. Most importantly, the Crown would offer up to 20 million pounds for slave owners' lost "property." (Lincoln's first proposal of the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet also included this, but after the victory at Antietam this buffer was removed.)

And heralded, or at least some degree of happiness over the abolition of slavery, may be the wrong sentiment for many in England. Michael Nazir-Ali, Anglican Bishop of Rochester, refuses to join in the chorus of mea culpas heard throughout England. His rationale: Such a response clouds the involvement of Africans and Muslims of East Africa and, more importantly, such a sentimental response to an affront on human dignity does not sufficiently recognize slavery's treachery. Whether one agrees with the Bishop's underlying critique, his appeal shifting the discussion from "Peccavimus" to the dignity of the human person is welcome.

Posted by Seth Zirkle at March 26, 2007 08:35 AM

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