[SLAVERY]. - Lot 49

[SLAVERY]. A Brief Summary of the Nature of the Slave Trade and the Atrocities Resulting Therefrom: Followed by a Historical Account of the Debates That Led to Its Final Abolition. London: Elerton, Henderson, 1821. — 8vo, 204 x 128: xii, 112 pp., 1 plate. Bradel binding in long-grain black half-maroquin, smooth spine (Laurenchet workshops). First edition of this militant and historical text, published in London and written in Portuguese. It demonstrates how, over the course of a century, a handful of convictions—religious, moral, and political—were able to change the course of history by turning the abolition of the slave trade into a national and then a legal cause. The book traces the emergence and progression of the abolitionist movement, from its beginnings in the 18th century to the legal abolition of the slave trade in 1807. It shows how Quakers, followed by intellectuals and political figures such as Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce, waged a relentless campaign to expose the horrors of slavery. Through investigations, petitions, and parliamentary debates, they succeeded in rallying public opinion and overcoming opposition from supporters of the slave trade, ultimately leading to its prohibition within the British Empire. The edition is illustrated with a fold-out plate at the beginning of the volume, depicting 292 people crammed into the hold of a ship: 85 children, 83 women, and 124 men. All are depicted lying down, their bodies filling every centimeter of available space. A fine copy bound by the Laurenchet workshops.