Great Britain: Thomas Clarkson / Kneeling Slave, Anti-Slavery Convention, London
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Form:
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Circular
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By:
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J. Davis.. Kneeling slave after after Josiah Wedgwood pottery |
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Date:
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1840 |
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Ref:
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BHM: 1979 (RR); Laidlaw: 0359;
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Variations:
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| Size | Metal | Mass | Value |
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| 44 mm | White Metal | | $320 |
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Edge:
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Plain. Reeded rim.
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Obverse:
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Bareheaded bust of Clarkson in jacket, front slightly right. Legend: “THOS. CLARKSON PRESIDENT OF THE ANTI SLAVERY CONVENTION IN LONDON JUNE 12. 1840”, ornament at the foot.
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Reverse:
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Slave in chains kneeling on ground, arms raised, right. Signed: “DAVIS BIRM.” below the ground. In an arc below: “AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER”. Legend on a raised roughened band: “BRITISH & FOREIGN ANTI SLAVERY SOCIETY” flower between stops at the foot.
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Notes:
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By 1838 the objectives of the British Society for the Abolition of Slavery had largely been accomplish with the full implementation of the Ant-Slavery Act of 1833 which outlawed slavery throughout the British Empire.
In 1839, a successor organisation was formed, committed to worldwide abolition. Its official name was The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society.
The Convention of 1840, held in the Freemasons' Tavern, drew delegates from around the word, principally from America. The elderly abolitionist Thomas Clarkson, as president of the society, was the main speaker. Women delegates were allowed to participate only as observers. The women were outraged and one of the unintended consequences of the convention was the birth of the suffragette movement.
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