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William Wilberforce Day, August 24th of each year

William Wilberforce (1759-1833), was a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. He was a British Member of Parliament who passed the first bill that helped end the slave trade.

Wilberforce presented his Abolition Bill before the House of Commons in England several times. Finally, on February 23, 1807, almost fifteen years after his first attempt, Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of abolition of the slave trade, one of the most important events in African-American history. Wilberforce was also instrumental in setting up organizations such as The Bible Society and The Society for Bettering the Condition of the Poor. August 24 was his birthday.

This holiday has recently been established by Chase’s Calendar of Events through the efforts of Professor Rick Sheridan, and will officially begin in 2010. Wilberforce University, where Sheridan teaches, celebrates this holiday and we invite others to recognize the achievements of this important person.

Sources: William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner, by William Hague. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0151012671.

Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce, by John Piper. Crossway Books, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-1581348750

Chase's Calendar of Events 2010: The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months. McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN-13: 978-0071627412