Bury the chains

Eighteenth-century Britain was the world’s leading centre for the slave trade.

Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild, author of the Duff Cooper prize-winning King Leopold's Ghost, charts the history of the moment everything changed.

In 1788, the slave trade flourishing across the British Empire, amassing wealth beyond measure.

Bury the Chains is the remarkable story of the men who sought to end slavery and brought the issue to the heart of British political life. Hochschild, lauded for his scholarly prowess and engrossing storytelling, transports us from London's bustling coffee houses to the West Indies' backbreaking sugar plantations.

Exploring the roles of key figures in the movement such as John Newton, Thomas Clarkson, William Wilberforce, Granville Sharp, and former slave Olaudah Equiano, it tells the history of the battle against an era of abhorrent human exploitation, illuminating the inception of the international human rights movement. Bury the Chains, a journey through some of the darkest times in history, compells us to honour the courageous heroes who dared to question, challenge, and ultimately bury the chains of social injustice.