I counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love and an overflowing supply of salvation. Psalm 130:5-7

The slave trade in the late 1700s involved thousands of Africans, hundreds of ships, and millions of British pounds; upon it depended the economies of Britain and much of Europe. Yet few were aware of the horrors of the so-called Middle Passage across the Atlantic, where an estimated one out of four Africans died. And those who were aware didn't think it possible to do anything about a system so entrenched in the culture and economy.

The exception was a small band of activists, mostly Christian, that included William Wilberforce, a member of Parliament with a gentle grin and a small, twisted body.

Upon his conversion in 1786, Wilberforce had written in his journal, "My walk is a public one. ...