Autograph letters, signed, from Brissot de Warville, to Thomas Clarkson, from Paris

Dated from February to May 1790, these nine letters from Brissot de Warville, French politician and founding member of the Société des Amis des Noirs, to the British abolitionist Thomas Clarkson describe the progress and finances of the French abolition movement. Brissot charts the growing support for abolition among members of parliament and in the Parisian political clubs, as well as the "great storm gathering" in Bordeaux against the Amis des Noirs. As well as following progress in the British and French parliaments on the issue of the slave trade, Brissot also refers to a number of other related concerns, including the Sierra Leone company, Swedish colonization attempts in West Africa, the campaigns of the 'gens de couleur' in the French Caribbean for equal rights etc. He suggests that abolition would be achieved by printing pamphlets, "in order to diffuse the truth everywhere" and combatting "the ignorance of the people". He also urges Clarkson to contribute to the abolitionist debate in the press by publishing his evidence in French.

St John's College Library, University of Cambridge. Clarkson papers. Folder 1-5.

  • Date : 1790
  • Surname : Brissot de Warville
  • First name : Jacques Pierre
  • Classification : Manuscript
  • Place of publication :
  • Publisher :
  • Language : French / English
  • Theme : Abolition Campaigns
  • Source : St John’s College, University of Cambridge
  • Weblink :
  • Documents :
  • Key words : Letters Clarkson Brissot Warville Amis Noirs France Revolution Slave Trade

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