What did people say about William Wilberforce?

Answer 1

It depends what time period you're talking about. In the early years of his parliamentary career, he was seen as a rising star and a brilliant debater. At first he was very popular during the early years of the campaign to abolish the slave trade, which aroused national interest. But as the French Revolution progressed and radicalism (along with abolition) became feared and hated, his name was linked with the dangerous radical principles of liberty and equality. He became more popular later on, especially by the time the slave trade was abolished in 1807. Eventually, he was nationally revered. At his death in 1833, according to one source, every third person was in mourning.