Black and British: A Forgotten History, from the acclaimed historian and star of 'Celebrity Traitors'

by David Olusoga

The wars with France, poor harvests, widespread distress among the poor and a rebellion in Ireland made it increasingly difficult for Clarkson, Wilberforce and their allies to keep the abuses of the slave-traders at the forefront of MPs’ minds – despite the constant barrage of new abolitionist pamphlets and the constant drumbeat of mass public meetings and fiery speeches. Yet the bill of 1796 failed by only four votes after one group of pro-abolition MPs went to the opera and missed the vote. There were rumours that the performance of the comic opera The Two Hunchbacks that had drawn the lawmakers away from the chamber had been arranged by the supporters of the slave trade.