Joseph Sturge

Joseph Sturge (1793 - May 14, 1859), son of a farmer in Gloucestershire, was an English Quaker and founder of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, now Anti-Slavery International, who spent his life engaged in Radical political actions supporting pacifism, working class rights, and the universal emancipation of slaves. In Jamaica, Joseph Sturge helped to found Free Villages with the Baptists, one of which was named "Sturge Town" in his memory.

Early career

Joseph Sturge went to Birmingham in 1822. A member of the Religious Society of Friends, (commonly known as Quakers), Joseph Sturge refused, in his business as a corn factor, to deal in grain used in the manufacture of alcoholic spirits. In rapidly expanding industrial Birmingham he was appointed an alderman in 1835. He opposed to the building of the Birmingham Town Hall on account of his conscientious objection to the performance of sacred oratorio. Over the coming years Joseph Sturge developed many links with Jamaica, visiting it several times, witnessing first hand the horrors of slavery, and working for emancipation with African-Caribbean and English Baptists. In 1838 he laid the foundation stone to the 'Emancipation School Rooms' in Birmingham in the presence of the United Baptist Sunday School and Baptist ministers of Birmingham, and in 1839 was himself commemorated by a marble monument in a Baptist mission chapel at Falmouth,Jamaica, which was dedicated to 'the Emancipated Sons of Africa'.

Campaign against indentured apprenticeship

After legislation for the statutory abolition of slavery in the British dominions was enacted in 1833 (leading to emancipation for those aged under 6 on 1st August 1834, but an almost equally enslaving scheme of bonded labour or 'indentured apprenticeship', designed by the slave owning Planters in the West Indies to postpone freedom for adults for twelve years, Sturge was the main instigator of a campaign of agitation against this delaying mechanism.

His work to speed up adult emancipation was supported by Quaker abolitionists such as William Allen and many other prominent abolitionists, including Lord Brougham, who (in a speech to the House of Lords) acknowledged Sturge's central role at that time in rousing British anti-slavery opinion.

In 1834 Sturge sailed to the West Indies to study 'apprenticeship', defined by the British Emancipation Act of 1833, and expose it to criticism as an intermediate stage on the route to emancipation. He travelled about the West Indies talking directly to 'apprentices', proprietors, and others directly involved. Upon his return he published "Narrative of Events Since the first of August 1834" in the name of a genuine African-Caribbean witness, though necessarily referred to as 'James Williams' to protect his true identity from reprisals. The original statement, signed by two free African-caribbeans and six 'apprentices' was authenticated by Rev. Dr. Thomas Price of Hackney, who wrote the introduction. Following a subsequent trip, and further study, "The West Indies in 1837" was also published by Sturge. Both publicised the cruelty and injustice of their system of apprenticeship. Meanwhile, whilst in Jamaica, Sturge worked with the Baptist chapels to help found a way to establish Free Villages that would provide homes beyond the control of the estate owners upon full emancipation.

As a result of Sturge's single-minded campaign, in which details of the brutality of 'apprenticeship' shamed the British Government, a major row broke out amongst abolitionists in which the more radical element were pitted against the government. Although both had the same ends in sight, Sturge and the Baptists, with mainly Nonconformist support, led a successful popular movement for immediate and full emancipation. As a consequence emancipation was brought forwards by the British Government to 1st August 1838, and the twelve-year 'intermediary' apprenticeship scheme abolished. For many English Nonconformists and African-Caribbean people this date, 1st August 1838, became recognised at the true date of abolition of slavery or emancipation in the British Empire.

Anti-Slavery campaign

In 1837, keen to be free to act independently of the consensus in the Anti-Slavery Society, Sturge founded the 'Central Negro Emancipation Committee'. More significantly, in 1839, one year after abolition in the British dominions (a time when some members of the Anti-Slavery Society considered their society's work to be completed) he led a small group of members to found a new Anti-Slavery Society - the 'British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society' - based on the ambitious new objective of world-wide emancipation. This society survives until today as Anti-Slavery International, and its work is far from achieved since slavery exists on a large scale in many countries, albeit no longer legally based. The Society's first major activity was to organise the World's first International Anti-slavery Conference. It was held at the Freemasons Hall in London, 12 June 1840 [ [http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/history.pdf The history of Anti-Slavery International] , accessed 12 July 2008] and attracted delegates from European, American and Caribbean countries, though not Africa. It included African-Caribbean delegates from Haiti and Jamaica, women activists from America and many nonconformists. A great painting of the event was commissioned by the society and its 'moral radicals', and hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London to this day. Its political significance lay in the fact-finding groups it set up to report into slavery worldwide, including links between British investment and business and overseas slavery.

In 1841 Sturge travelled in the United States with the poet Whittier to examine the slavery question there, and publish his findings to promote American abolition.

Chartism and the Peace Society

On his return to England he gave his support to the Chartist movement, and in 1842 was parliamentary candidate for Nottingham, but was defeated by John Walter, the proprietor of "The Times".

He then took up the cause of peace and arbitration being pioneered by Henry Richard, in support of which he helped found the Peace Society and was influential in the founding the "Morning Star" in 1855 as a newspaper through which to promote the Peace Society and his other ideas.

Personal life

Sturge married, first, in 1834, Eliza, daughter of James Cropper; and, secondly, in 1846, Hannah, daughter of Barnard Dickinson.

Death and memorial

Sturge died at Edgbaston, Birmingham.A memorial to him (which originally incorporated drinking fountains) was unveiled three years later in front of a crowd of 12,000 on 4th June 1862 at Five Ways on the boundary between Birmingham and Edgbaston. The sculptor was John Thomas, who Sir Charles Barry had employed as stone and wood carver on the former King Edward’s Grammar School at Five Ways. He had also worked on the Palace of Westminster and Balmoral, as well as the reliefs on Windsor and Euston Stations.

Sturge is shown in a pose as if he were teaching, with his right hand resting on the Holy Bible to acknowledge his strong Christian faith. Lower down the plinth, he is flanked by two female allegorical figures. One represents Peace holding a dove and an olive branch, with a lamb at her feet, symbolic of innocence and the other, Charity, comforting and giving succour to two Afro-Caribbean infants, and recalling the fight and victory against slavery] . Around the crown of the plinth are inscribed the words Charity, Temperance and Peace, as well as the name of the subject and the date of his death.

In 1925 the memorial had a plaque installed to remind the passer-by who the memorial commemorated, the inscription was as follows:

In 2006/7 the partnership of The Birmingham Civic Society, Birmingham City Council and the Sturge family saw the statue restored in time for the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.

On 24 March 2007 there was a civic ceremony that formally rededicated the statue, and an interpretation board, giving details of his life, was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. On the same day a blue plaque was unveiled on the site of his home in Wheeleys Road, Edgbaston. [ [http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/news/tm_headline=abolition-of-slavery-is-remembered-in-birmingham&method=full&objectid=18810854&siteid=50002-name_page.html Blue plaque unveiling] ]

The statue is grade II listed.

References

Further reading

* Richard, Henry (1864), "Memoirs of Joseph Sturge", London: Partridge
* Temperley, Howard (1972), "British Anti-Slavery 1733-1870", London: Longman
* Pickering, Paul & Tyrell, Alex (2004) "Contested Sites: commemoration, memorial & popular politics", pub:Ashgate
* Tyrrell, Richard (1987), "Joseph Sturge and the Moral Radical Party in Victorian Britain", London: Helm

External links

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* [http://www.search.connectinghistories.org.uk/engine/resource/exhibition/sequential/default.asp?txtKeywords=ex002&lstContext=&lstResourceType=-1&lstExhibitionType=&chkPurchaseVisible=&txtDateFrom=&txtDateTo=&originator=%2Fengine%2Fsearch%2Fdefault%5Fhndlr%2Easp&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=4&text=0&resource=447 The Joseph Sturge Monument] - A photo essay on the history of his statue in Birmingham.
* [http://www.birminghamcivicsociety.org.uk The Birmingham Civic Society]
* [http://anti-slaverysociety.addr.com/huk-sturge.htm Joseph Sturge]
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