William Wilberforce (1798–1833), a Christian, British politician, and philanthropist is most famously remembered as an abolitionist. Wilberforce battled with the British Parliament for more than thirty years to end the practice of slavery. His efforts would culminate in the passage of The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. Wilberforce died three days after learning of the act’s passage through parliament.
While the name Wilberforce is familiar to many, few are familiar with Josiah Wedgewood. Wedgewood’s antislavery medallion was used by abolitionist movements in Britain, France, and the United States. In 1787, Wedgewood, a potter, crafted a ceramic medallion of a black male slave, shackled and kneeling. The medallion included the inscription, “Am I not a man and a brother?” The medal would become the seal of the Abolitionist Society and a symbol of the antislavery movement.
The medallion’s appeal targeted the human sensibilities of all people. The…
