James Stephen (1758-1832).

England enslaved by her own slave colonies. An Address to the Electors and People of the United Kingdom. 

London: Printed by Richard Taylor, Shoelane; for Hatchard and Son, Piccadilly; and J. and A. Arch, Cornhill. 1826.

8°. [4], 91, [1] pp.

Sewn, no covers. Wholly untrimmed. Kept in a fine custom box.

Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front page: “With the author’s respectful compts.”

First edition of a scarce abolitionist pamphlet by James Stephen, the influential barrister, Member of Parliament, and one of the chief architects of the campaign to end the British slave trade. Stephen (1758–1832) was a close ally of William Wilberforce and played a central role in framing the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished Britain’s participation in the transatlantic trade. In this later tract, published nearly two decades after abolition of the trade, Stephen denounces the continuing practice of slavery in Britain’s Caribbean colonies, arguing that the nation itself was morally “enslaved” so long as colonial bondage endured. His call to the electorate is both an indictment of vested West Indian interests and a rallying cry for immediate reform.

The pamphlet provoked direct replies from the pro-slavery lobby, most notably The West India Question Practically Considered (1826), which attempted to counter Stephen’s charges and defend the colonies. As such, England Enslaved stands as an important document in the polarised debate over emancipation that would culminate in the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Condition: wholly untrimmed. Front and back pages toned, back soiled. Inscribed in ink on front page. Otherwise in good condition.

Reference: Sabin 91237.