William Wilberforce – Amazing Grace Film – Essay Guidelines

Watch the film Amazing Grace which focuses on William Wilberforce’s attempts to abolish slavery in England. Before watching this film, review the questions for the Reflection Essay below so that you can pay attention to the pieces that might hold the keys to the answers. Also, note that once you click the link above you might need to enter your credentials to be able to view the film.

After viewing the film Amazing Grace about the life of William Wilberforce, write a two to three (2-3) page reflective essay considering the following themes and questions:

Theme: The First to Care

Q1. Among the first people to be heavily involved in the abolition movement – in Great Britain and the US – were members of religious groups like the Quakers. Why do you think this was so?

Q2. Why would this have been important to a young politician like Wilberforce and to the world of politics itself?

Theme: What about you? Could you do it?

Q3. What skills would be important for a statesman like Wilberforce to possess in order to get a bill to become a law? How would someone learn these skills?

Q4. What character traits or virtues would be important? Why?

Q5. Do you think these traits are still important to people seeking to bring about social justice today? Why or why not?