A Representation of the Injustice and Dangerous Tendency of Tolerating Slavery

In 1769, writer and anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp published this work demonstrating that slavery has no basis in English law.

Granville Sharp (1735–1813) undertook legal research to oppose slavery, and in 1769 published this work to demonstrate that slavery has no basis in English law. In 1772, the case of James Somerset was brought before Lord Mansfield, who upheld Sharp's contention, effectively freeing all slaves in England.This work by the anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp (1735–1813) brings together legal and historical documents, as well as the author's own legal arguments, demonstrating that slavery was illegal and therefore could not be upheld in England. Furthering his own intellectual development while working for a linen draper, Sharp later became a government clerk and pursued a writing career. His awakening to the horrors of the slave trade resulted from a chance encounter with an injured slave seeking help from his physician brother. Carrying out the necessary legal research, Sharp published this book in 1769 to demonstrate that slavery has no basis in English law. In 1772, the landmark case of James Somerset was brought before Lord Mansfield, who upheld Sharp's contention: as a result, it was henceforth understood that any slave reaching the shores of England became free. Sharp's memoirs of his life are also reissued in this series.