Week 4 Political Science Post

2) If you could interview a prominent political activist (living or dead), whom would you select? List five questions that you would ask about that individual's childhood or personality in order to better understand his or her political behavior. Why are these particularly revealing questions?


If I could interview a prominent political activist, I would choose William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was responsible for the abolition of the slave trade in England, spending the larger part of his life fighting it. He fought tirelessly for many years against political corruption and greed that kept slavery alive and well, as it was a very profitable trade for many of his peers in Parliament.

1. What first unleashed your passion to make a wrong right by abolishing the slave trade?

2. How did meeting John Newton, (the creator of the song Amazing Grace) affect you and lead to your decision to take on the challenge of abolition? (John Newton had been a slave trader for years responsible for the miserable life and deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of slaves that he brought from Africa, until one day, he met God. He did not stop slave trading immediately upon his conversion, however, after some years and much study, he did give up that life and began a life of church service.) Wilberforce had gone to visit Newton to inquire about giving up his life of politics now that he had met God. Newton wholeheartedly encouraged Wilberforce to serve God and mankind where God had placed him, in politics.

3. As a youngster, you were frail and sickly, and as a man, while still frail and sick often times, you took on a challenge of gigantic proportions in the slave trade. Were you ever concerned that you would not have enough fight in you to prevail in winning freedom for the slaves?

4. Did you feel overwhelmed with the amount of adversity you faced with political opponents, motivated by large sums of money, which were entrenched in Parliament, having enough political clout to continually thwart your efforts? What kept you going during the times when victory seemed unobtainable?

5. Your biographies mention that you have a beautiful speaking and singing voice. Would you sing Amazing Grace for me? What does that song mean to you?

These questions reveal the tenacity that is required to accomplish great things via a political life. Without a foundation of courage, character, compassion and commitment, the important issues that need attention and correction will not be addressed. William Wilberforce was beloved by his countrymen and his opponents, and, left a legacy that is still celebrated today both in England and the United States, with colleges that bear his name as well as celebrations of the historic day his legislation passed. Wilberforce College in Wilberforce Ohio was one of the first African American owned colleges in the US and is primarily an African American college.