 In 1785, Thomas Clarkson entered an essay contest. The question was, is it lawful to make slaves of others against their will? He entered the contest after learning about a horrifying massacre a few years earlier on the transatlantic slave trade. In November 1781, the captain of the British slave ship, the Zung, ordered his entire crew to throw 133 slaves overboard. Not a single person was tried for murder. The judge ruled that it was the same as if horses had been killed. Thomas successfully argued that no man can rightfully claim ownership over another. Then he made a vow to end the transatlantic slave trade. He gathered together a group of the most formidable moral thinkers in the nation. This tiny group declared themselves to be the society for the abolition of the African slave trade. They were the world's first think tank, and their first act was to create tens of thousands of copies of Thomas Clarkson's award-winning essay. He worked tirelessly, often putting his life in peril. Thomas convinced a key member of Parliament, William Wilberforce, to fight the slave trade through legislation. Wilberforce wrote bill after bill advocating abolition. In 1807, the British Parliament outlawed the slave trade. Eventually, in 1833, the British Empire freed all slaves within its rounds. 48 years after writing his famous essay, and in his own lifetime, Thomas Clarkson secured victory for the abolitionist movement. More stories about men and women like Thomas Clarkson can be found in Lawrence W. Reed's book, Real Heroes. Buy it now at fee.org slash store.