Granville Sharp Biography

Granville Sharp was a social reformer and a leading British abolitionist who was one of the founders of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade and served as the first chairman of the Society. He lived in an era when most abolitionists were of the view that Slave Trade was wrong because of the inhumane treatment often meted out to the slaves. Sharp was one of the early abolitionists who argued that it was the very concept of enslaving blacks and curbing their right to lead an independent life that was wrong, and treating slaves “humanely” did not justify Slave Trade. He first became interested in the abolitionist movement after he became acquainted with a young slave who had been badly beaten up and left to die by his master. An idealistic and compassionate individual, Sharp fought hard to ensure that the slave was freed from his cruel master. Over a period of time he was approached by more slaves who begged for his help and soon Sharp became a leader of the abolitionist movement in Great Britain which was by far the largest trafficker in slaves. He also supported the Sierra Leone resettlement project, which encouraged former slaves to settle in west Africa