The Poet Who Ended SlaverySample

All over the world, it seems like we are more divided than ever in the battle over right and wrong.

Politicians try to sell us the same story: Elect the right person and they will introduce new laws or appoint the right judges to legislate our desired brand of change.

But is this really how large-scale cultural change happens?

The evidence suggests that it is not. Just as Adam and Eve were called to “fill the earth” before they were called to “rule” it, so it appears that cultural creation precedes political change.

Look at the abolitionist movement in the U.S. as a quick case study. The tide against slavery turned long before the Civil War or President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Anti-slavery sentiment took off after the massive success of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. So great was the impact of that cultural good that upon meeting its author, Lincoln said, “So, you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.”

Across the pond in Great Britain, we see the same story. William Wilberforce is credited as the man chiefly responsible for abolishing the slave trade in the British Parliament (paving the way for Stowe and Lincoln in the U.S.). But as many historians have pointed out, Wilberforce’s legislative change would have never happened without the cultural change that preceded it. As one Wilberforce biographer points out, “The genius of the abolitionists—and the likely reason for their ultimate success—is that they understood that their battle was not merely political and went to great lengths to make the cultural case against slavery and the trade as well….How Wilberforce came to be the chief champion of abolition….after twenty years of battling...has everything to do with Hannah More.”

Who was Hannah More? Not a politician, but a culture maker like you and me. Over the next few days, I want to introduce you to this remarkable woman, and in doing so, outline the most proven playbook for creating large scale cultural change for the Kingdom.