Autographed letter from Thomas Clarkson to James Phillips
Our collections include some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Learn more.
Data source:
Research CatalogPurchase this print
Order PrintImage ID
5661546
Item data
Title
Autographed letter from Thomas Clarkson to James Phillips
Collection
Sidney Lapidus Slavery and Abolition Collection
Names
Clarkson, Thomas, 1760-1846 (Author)
Date / Origin
Date Created: 1796-02-21
Library Location
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Shelf locator: SC Rare Lapidus Collection Box 2 Folder 5
Subjects
Slavery
Slave trade
Abolitionists
African Americans
Blacks
Enslaved persons
Abolition movement
Antislavery movements
Wilberforce, William, 1759-1833
Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade
Slavery -- Great Britain
Genres
Notes
Content: Letter is set in a paper frame, a clipped fragment with the signature of W. Wilberforce, tipped-in, and annotations in ink.
Physical Description
Extent: [2] pages ; 30 cm
Abstract
Letter from Thomas Clarkson to fellow abolitionist James Phillips three weeks before Wilberforce’s motion for the abolition of slavery was to be put before the House of Commons in 1796. Since winning an essay competition on the subject of slavery while at Oxford, Clarkson had become a founding member of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of Slavery, and he worked tirelessly to support the cause while Wilberforce campaigned in Parliament. Wilberforce’s 1796 motion was defeated, perhaps partly due to Clarkson’s retirement to the country in 1793. He re-emerged as a prominent and public advocate for the cause in 1803. This letter shows his involvement, even as he kept at a distance.
Languages
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 930787634
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b20846780
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): c985b000-9d31-0133-7958-00505686d14e
Rights
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.
Type Of Resource
Cite this item
MLA format
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. "Autographed letter from Thomas Clarkson to James Phillips" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1796. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c985b000-9d31-0133-7958-00505686d14e
APA format
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. (1796). Autographed letter from Thomas Clarkson to James Phillips Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c985b000-9d31-0133-7958-00505686d14e
Chicago/Turabian Format
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. "Autographed letter from Thomas Clarkson to James Phillips" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 5, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c985b000-9d31-0133-7958-00505686d14e
Wikipedia citation
<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c985b000-9d31-0133-7958-00505686d14e | title= (text) Autographed letter from Thomas Clarkson to James Phillips (1796) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=December 5, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>