1. Why was William Wilberforce determined to end the slave trade?
William Wilberforce had seen the awfulness of the slave trade with his own eyes (such as seeing the incredibly small booths and bad conditions that the slaves were transported in) which made him realise that the slave trade was inherently wrong. Also, he had a preacher as a child who had taught that slavery and the slave trade was wrong. His friends also influenced him to act so persistently, and to feel so strongly about the abolishment of the slave trade. On top of all these independent events, he had a strong Christian faith and strong Christian morals, from which he decided that the slave trade was wrong, so he was determined to end such inhuman and unchristian actions.
2. How did he ultimately achieve his objective?
Perseverance. As his friend told him: 'You must keep going, keep going fast!' And that is what he did. He just kept working toward achieving the abolition of the slave trade. He did several things, from convincing others through imagery and sensory bombardment (e.g. the boat party scene) to having a 390 thousand signature petition calling for the end of slavery. He was helped and influenced by others, also, to achieve his goal. He worked 'behind the curtain' on acts that would either directly or indirectly stop the slave trade or make it unprofitable or difficult to trade in slaves. These included bills to make neutrally-flagged ships to be board-able by authorities and, ultimately, the Slave Trade Act and the Slavery Abolition Act. Throughout all of this, he persevered and worked incredibly hard, with the support of others, and both direct and indirect means of helping his cause.
3. Why were so many politicians initially opposed to the removal of the practice?
Many politicians stood to gain from the slave trade and slavery, had fears of French invasions, did not want to lose investments and felt it would destroy their livelihoods to abolish slavery. They were also under the false impression that there were no Africans who opposed the trade. Additionally, they believed that Britain would fall into financial disaster if slavery was removed. For these reasons, many politicians were initially opposed to the removal of the practices.
4. What evidence of there of Wilberforce's Christian faith?
Wilberforce shows his Christian faith at many points throughout the film. He had a religious experience, and even considered going into a life of contemplation (he was advised and convinced not to by a fellow opposer to slavery and former slave trader) which shows he was serious about believing in Christianity. He made a speech in the aforementioned boat party scene where he says that: 'God made men equal.' which refers to and affirms his Christian faith. He is also married in the traditional Christian way. Although there are more examples, he was also motivated to abolish slavery because of his Christian morals, which show very clearly that he was a devout Christian.
5. How did Wilberforce's Christian faith impact his actions?
Without Christianity, Wilberforce would not have felt so strongly that slavery is wrong, and he may not have persevered so far. This shows how his Christian faith was absolutely fundamental to the abolition of the slave trade.
6. What did you think of the movie?
I think that Amazing Grace was a very profound and interesting film that was expertly made. I thought that the strong messages and amazing historically-based storyline was beautifully combined with a love story, fantastic period costumes and evocative settings.
7: How might the movie's message impact your own life?
This movie shows you just how far one can go if you just stick to your guns (proverbially, of course, I oppose violence in all forms) and work really hard (which I strongly believe in already). The movie implies that with a good intention and a strong motivation, you can actually change the world and be remembered for the good you did, rather than the bad. Finally, it tells you that you don't have to agree with society and that it is okay to oppose the idiocy of society. So, this movie gives me hope for the future: that people can and will continue to make the world a better place. This movie helps me to be less sceptical toward people who say that you can change the world. It also reinforces to me that I should continue to work hard at what I believe in and support my ideas about society with fact and base my ideas on what I believe is right, what my morals tell me and what I have experienced. I suppose I have been living under the impression that if someone says something that I disagree with so much it makes me sick to think about it, it is okay if I simply try to convince them on one occasion that what they said was wrong, without achieving results (or even simply ignore the comment to avoid conflict), but this has encouraged me to just keep going (perhaps they will realise one day). This movie shows me that keeping strong in your beliefs is key, and perhaps I should implement that idea in conjunction with working hard.
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