Why should Thomas Clarkson be remembered? Has he been forgotten for too long? YES! We should remember Clarkson as one of the main contributors to the abolition of the Slave Trade, a national and international hero who we all need to be thankful for our freedom.
Clarkson was the one who traveled thousands of miles, risked his life and fought for the abolition of the Slave Trade. His speeches were full of rich description ,reliable evidence including witnesses , images such as the Brook Sketch and documents which helped to secure the abolition and create a better world for me, you and everyone.
We should also recognize Clarkson as much as William Wilberforce, whose biography (taught to children around the world) was written by Wilberforce's two sons and therefore is extremely biased and doesn't mention Clarkson even though he gave Wilberforce documents to use. However Wilberforce should not be written out of books and films as he was still a main contributor and passed the law of the abolition of the Slave Trade.
While another local hero such as Sir Alf Ramsey has a statue, acknowledgment, a street and is known by people around the world, all that Clarkson has is a scruffy street and a small obelisk in a quiet country graveyard which rates his achievements lower than Sir Alf Ramsey's.
Clarkson wasn't in Parliament like William Wilberforce and wasn't a former slave like Oloudah Equiano but he did made a massive difference to the abolition of the Slave Trade.
