George Thompson (abolitionist)
George Donisthorpe Thompson (18 June, 1804-7 October, 1878) was a British antislavery orator and activist, as well as a Member of Parliament. He was arguably one of the most important abolitionist and human rights lecturers both in Great Britain and the United States.
Biography
When he was hired by the Anti-Slavery Society in London in 1831, Thompson had little knowledge of slavery, though had gained a reputation as an able orator. He quickly took up the dissemination of the Society's creed: "To uphold slavery is a crime before God, and the condition must therefore be immediately abolished". In 1832 he traveled to Scotland, where he gained an interested in the abolition of slavery in the United States an other parts of the world. While in Scotland he also met William Lloyd Garrison who would remain a lifelong friend and colleague. From 1836-1847 he was active in every major anti-slavery debate in Britain, and in 1847 was elected to the House of Commons, representing the Tower Hamlets.[1]
George Thompson came to the United States, first in 1834, and again in 1850. and once more in 1864, when he allied with William Wells Brown in advocating the destruction of slavery, and met with Abraham Lincoln.
When he died in 1878 he was destitute, and was buried in an unmarked grave, his efforts largely forgotten.
References
- ^ Gifford, Ronald M. (2007). "Thompson, George". American National Biography Online October 2007 Update. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2008-01-27.