Granville Sharp

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Granville Sharp
Introduction
The subject of the biographical essay is Granville Sharp, a key abolitionist figure who made a significant contribution to the fight against the transatlantic slave trade. Sharp was born on November 1735 in Durham England to a clergyman. Consequently, he was raised with strong religious convictions. According to McFarland (2019), Sharp was a dedicated member of the Anglican church who used to study the Bible intensely. During his era, England as a society did not pursue slavery with the Chief Justice opining that the English law did not recognize slavery. However, some of the slaveowners from various English colonies in the West Indies and America would commonly visit the country with their slaves in tow (McFarland, 2019). The slaveowners had managed to convince the English Chancellor to pass a law acknowledging that those who came to the country as slaves should be recognized as slaves even if they become baptized. Sharp’s encounter with a beaten and abandoned black slave, Jonathan Strong served as the precursor to his decision to pursue justice for the slaves at the time.
The biographical essay is based on Granville Strong owing to his efforts in preventing slaves who had visited the country from being forced to return to the American colonies where they were abused. Historians have regarded Sharp as the “first abolitionist.” In addition, Sharp’s role in agitating for justice for the victims of the Zong massacre was an area of interest given that the massacre is the topic of my paper. The campaign that Sharp started when he rescued Jonathan Sharp from the streets eventually culminated at the end of the slave trade and the institution of slavery (Lascelles, 1928). The message of Sharp’s life can be summed up by a quote by Henry David Thoreau, “Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”
Influence
Notably, one of the significant influences of Sharp’s activism was religious convictions. Sharp’s family was a key part of the Church of England with McFarland (2019) noting that Sharp’s family would perform musical concerts every Sunday with the various members of the family tasked with playing various musical instruments that added up to the concert. The Christian faith impressed upon Sharp that every person was equal before God shaping his belief that slavery was a sin against humanity that should have been abolished (Wallace, 1998). The religious belief saw William make significant efforts toward helping the poor in the England society. As a government clerk, Sharp had firsthand experience of the plight of the poor and he would direct his resources toward helping the poor in the society at the time.
Labor Issues
The labor issue that had a significant impact on Sharp’s life was the inhuman treatment of slaves by the slave owners. Notably, England as a society during Sharp’s life took pride in the view that their country was too pure to allow one to exist as a slave in the country, as established by a British Court ruling in 1859. Nonetheless, England expanding control in various colonies and its naval superiority meant that the country was one of the key players in the slave trade. Almost a quarter of the ships in the country were involved in the slave trade, picking up slaves from Africa and transporting them to the Americas where they would be used to provide labor in various plantations. While Sharp did not directly witness the treatment of the slaves in the plantations, he would usually observe the inhumane treatment of slaves when they came with their owners into the country.
Events that the Subject Witnessed
Sharp witnessed two key events that had a significant influence on his commitment to dealing with the institution of slavery. The first key event was his meeting with Jonathan Strong. Sharp met Jonathan Strong when he was going home in 1765. Strong was a teenage black slave who had been beaten and abandoned by his owner, David Lisle. Lisle had permanently damaged Strong’s vision and his body and then left him on the streets to die. While flogging was commonplace in the 18thCentury England, Strong’s beating was brutal. Two years after Sharp rescued Strong ...