Bury The Chains; Chapters 22, 23, and the Epilogue

The following summaries are of Pages 324-354 , as well as 365 and 366.

Pages 324-332 of Chapter 22
In the ending chapters of Bury the Chains, author Adam Hochschild describes in great detail the last efforts of the abolition movement that added to the eventual success, as well as the positive and negative backlash of the entire movement on not just Britain- but the entire surrounding world. to begin the chapter, the reader is told of the great debate between gradual and immediate end to slavery. Elizabeth Heyrick, former schoolteacher and converted Quaker, was a prominent figure in the public support of immediate -not gradual- end to slavery. As described as finally "given women the permission to speak" (325), opinionated women were eager to defend their long silenced opposition to slavery. Heyrick was one of the originators of boycotting slave labor crops, however was much more adamant and true to the cause. Her "burning passion for justice" (328), was the driving force in many women joining the abolition movement. While the growing concern among British citizens for the possibility of future slave revolt in the Carribean stirred, current slaves were interested in designing rebellions at just as rapid a pace. Missionary chapels became meeting grounds for slaves to network and communicate possible plans of attack against their masters. One Protestant missionary, John Smith, began teaching slave children literacy without telling the plantation owners. With this knowledge and acquired ability to read, slaves designed a rebellion in the confines of Smith's church without him knowing. After the revolt of nearly 9,000 slaves armed with knives and pikes, John Smith was blamed and hung by the white colonists. Yet again in the struggle for ending slavery, Hochschild exposes the inability for whites to give credit to the slaves for their success in organizing a movement. The martyr like death of Smith angered many Britons. Once again, Hochschild writes of irony, while proclaiming "but the death of one white man moved them more than those of 250 slaves" (331). In the closing of chapter 22, Hochschild describes vividly the torture technique of "treadmills". As seen many times previously throughout the book, the author uses shock value to remind the reader of what was still happening to millions of slaves aside from the abolition movement. The Duke of Clarence took thrown from King William IV in 1828 which was a real troubling turn of events for Thomas Clarkson, whom had just lost his most loyal supporter - John Clarkson.

Chapter 23; "Come, Shout O'er The Grave"
In Chapter 23 of "Bury The Chains", Adam Hochschild emphasizes that it took personal empathy, not a secure Democratic system of politics, that ignited the eventual passing of a bill that finally freed 800,000 black men, women, and children on August 1, 1838. Also dispersed in the chapter is opposing viewpoints of the legacy of Thomas Clarkson, as well as the effect that the reform had generations and generations to follow. By the start of the 1830's in Britain, the amount of eligible voters was less than 100 years prior, which is a staggering statistic. While Manchester was thriving with both enlightening and industrial strides, this city of loyal Clarkson supporters had zero representatives in Parliament compared to the two of the "virtually uninhabited" Old Sarum. The inability to vote was offensive to many citizens. "Why not... give rising middle classes more of a stake in government?" (334). In the spirit of reform and citizen action, the spirit of abolition was once again reignited. By using a technique originally used by Elizabeth Heyrick and the Birmingham Ladies' Society for the Relief of Negro Slaves, George Stephen formed a subcommittee that paid lecturers a yearly salary in an effort to stir up public support in neighboring cities with public speeches and demonstrations. After this Agency Antislavery Committee joined forces with the current female activists, there "breathed new life into the national movement" (336). Hochschild makes it a point to attack the Church of England once again by explaining that the Quakers were more egalitarian. While the Reform bill passed the House of Commons in 1831, the House of Lords were strongly opposed. None the less, riots ensued. Rumors of abolition spread through newspapers in Caribbean Islands. On Christmas day 1831, more than two hundred plantations in Jamaica were ruined under the lead of Samuel Sharpe, causing 1.1 million dollars worth of damage. Sharpe was a well mannered man, with a mesmerizing ability to emotionally drive many slaves through his public speeches. Even though he originally wished for a peaceful revolt, this was impossible with slaves' current situations. Many rebel fighters were in uniform thought to have been sewed by women, which further emphasized the strength of the slave community. Sharpe was finally captured and hung with one prominent quote in his legacy; "I would rather die upon yonder gallows than live in slavery." Finally with enough public opinion the House of Lords agreed to the Reform. The reform was a two step process that first included slaves being apprentices to their masters for four years, then ultimately gaining freedom. Supporters of the movement rallied for emancipation-minded Parliament members. While on August 1, 1838, William Knibb proclaimed "the monster is dead!" (348) in Britain, there was still active slavery in many other continents around the world. Of all the printing shop crew of 51 years prior, Thomas Clarkson was one of the few still alive to witness the success of their vigorous effort. After the death of Wilberforce, his two sons published a five volume biography that discredited Clarkson and many others in a claim that their father had not received the ultimate credit he had deserved. As Wilberforce was an active political force throughout his lifetime, many people of Britain took comfort in placing the credit in the hands of a "wise elite". While the two men were inarguably one of the most powerful duos in all of history, the feud caused by Wilberforce's sons tarnished the reputation of Thomas Clarkson especially. Hochschild accredits these two men with igniting the spirit of reform in many other aspects of British culture including citizen working conditions and Parliament displeasure. Before his eventual decease at the age of 86, Clarkson was able to pass some of his 60 years of experience on to a few of the leaders of the American antislavery movement. William Garrison and Frederick Douglass were given an insight to the abolitionist spirit instilled in Clarkson; "if i had sixty years more they should all be given to the same cause" (354). In a meaningful gesture, Hochschild closes the chapter with the following anecdote; a large group of Clarkson's Quaker supporters, in an "unprecedented departure from long-sacred custom", removed their hats as a sign of respect at his funeral procession.

Pages 365-366; The Closing Paragraphs of the Epilogue
In the closing remarks by author Adam Hochschild in the epilogue of "Bury the Chains", opinion-driven arguments are listed that involve the actual reasoning behind people finally accepting the abolition movement in England, as well as the legacy that proceeded. One interesting fact is that Jamaica Coffee House, which was once popular amongst slave captains, is now presently the Jamaica Whine House. Also, the popular Antislavery International organization stemmed from the abolition movement, and is now home to the Thomas Clarkson House headquarters in London. Hochschild mentions that the thought of ending slavery in the eighteenth century was about as ludicrous as trying to close the gap of between rich and poor nations or ending the spread of nuclear weapons in present times. Hochschild proclaims that "they will not be solved at all unless people see them as both outrageous and solvable, just as slavery was felt to be by the twelve men who gathered in James Phillips's printing shop in George Yard on May 22, 1787. It took faith from these twelve men that eventually the care of human suffering would emotionally drive people to an acceptance of a reform. Hochschild, in one final effort to criticize the church, saves the last lines of the book to proclaim that no consideration of "sacred texts" drove the abolitionists. Instead, it was purely human empathy.