Who was the first man to speak against slave trade?

Answer 1

I bet it was a slave first hand.

Answer 2

There were many people in the US that spoke against the slave trade, primarily clergy. However, the first person to speak out against slavery in a major way was William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison operated a newspaper called "The Liberator" it was staunchly for the immediate end to slavery (his reason was moral/religious). He was from New England. By the time Garrison joined the abolition movement there were a number of people speaking out against slavery.

Answer 3

The film that's currently in release in the US - Amazing Grace - is about William Wilberforce who, as a young member of England's Parliament, fought to end slavery in the British Empire in the 18th-Century.

But I'm sure there was slave trade long before the British came into power and there were probably any number of men who spoke out against it.

Answer 4

The first person in the colonies to speak out and take action against slavery was Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island.....from the beginning it was illegal to own slaves in "his" state. This in the 1640/1650 era.

Answer 5

I appreciate the wit behind the first three answers, though it's quite likely the slaves came from slave-owning societies themselves. Homer himself said 'The first day of slavery takes away half one's manhood.'
As for the others - you Americans, don't you think there's anyone or anything outside your own country? The Anti-Slavery movement started in Britain in the late eighteenth century. The first important voice was that of John Clarkson.

Answer 6

Wasn't the first person who speaked the slave trade was martin luther king jr.

Answer 7

A (male) slave. I thought the answer was self evident.

Answer 8

probably the one in chains.