The most EA story ever: Clarkson won an essay prize against slavery, then dedicated his life to it
ben_j_todd · x · 2026-10-16
benjtodd shares a book extract from Rutger Bregman: Thomas Clarkson won a Cambridge essay prize arguing against slavery — then, on the ride home, realized that if his essay was right he'd have to dedicate his life to fighting it, and actually did. The extract details his sleepless nights, the candle by his bed, the winning prose declaring slavery "contrary to reason, justice, nature," and the roadside moment at Wade's Mill in the summer of 1785 where the end of the slave trade arguably began. Todd's verdict: the most EA thing ever.
Related event: The Essay That Launched a Lifelong Abolition Movement(2 posts)→
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