Here is a man who changed his world. He changed minds and then laws to make us all more free.
Personal Reflection
He was Christian but he was was more, taking his own path of conscience, seeking goodness beyond his day common to many religions and philosophies.
With out watching the recent movie called "Amazing Grace" you will be at a disadvantage in understand William Wilberforce. I suggest you watch it, for our world would not exist as it is now, without him. He changed the history and face of the whole western world so dramatically, and even other continents must feel his influence second hand.
What did he do? (1) He ended the Atlantic slave trade, (2) changed and ended social habits now considered despicable and then generally excepted, and (3) he eventually ended slavery in the British isles. He did this with the help of friends including Prime Minister William Pitt.
One reason Gandhi was able to do so much for India, is that he understood the English people so well, who were influenced by the Magma Carta and people like Wilberforce. Gandhi knew that goodness, fairness, and un-racist sensible laws were a socially accepted concept in the British Isles. This partial goes back to Wilberforce, who made the legacy of fair laws, charitable forbearance and good behavior more popular.
Some have made the point that so complete was his reformation that there was little memory left of what used to be, and consequently little reason to remember him. Thus after his work was done a more beautiful world sought not to consider the past and forgot Wilberforce with it. He did such an amazing job of ridding his world of socially acceptable debauchery and blindness, that it was hard to believe afterwards that such a person as Wilberforce needed to exist. He had help from and was among a group of friends now called the Clapham circle.
History of Life
I cannot write this now, but see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce.
