The West Calder Slave Trade Petition was a 1792 petition, against the slave-trade, created in West Calder, West Lothian, Scotland.[1][2][3]
Abolition of the Slave Trade
editThe Parishioners of West Calder played a small part in the abolitionist movement of the late eighteenth century, as reported in the Edinburghshire Log of 1792. West Calder Parish posted a petition in advocating in the strongest terms that abolition of slavery was essential. Within 9 days of the publication of the document, 2 April 1792 William Wilberforce moved that the trade ought to be abolished; an amendment in favour of gradual abolition was carried, and it was finally resolved that the trade should cease on 1 January 1796. When a similar motion was brought forward to the House of Lords the consideration of it was postponed to the following year, in order to give time for the examination of witnesses by a committee of the House.
References
edit- ^ West Calder Slave Trade Petition, March 15, 1792, reported in the Edinburghshire log of 1792.
- ^ "Henry Dundas and Abolition – The Missing Pieces" (PDF). Henry Dundas Committee for Public Education on Historic Scotland, Arniston House. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "House of Lords Journal Volume 63: 16 December 1830', in Journal of the House of Lords: Volume 63, 1830-1831 (London, [n.d.]), pp. 176-180". British History Online. Retrieved 22 October 2021.