Bury the Chains

From the acclaimed author of King Leopold's Ghost comes the taut, gripping account of one of the most brilliantly organized social justice campaigns in history: the fight to free the slaves of the British Empire. In early 1787, twelve men -- a printer, a lawyer, a clergyman, and others united by their hatred of slavery -- came together in a London printing shop and began the world's first grass-roots movement. Masterfully stoking public opinion, the leaders of the movement pioneered a variety of techniques that have been adopted by citizens movements ever since, from consumer boycotts to wall posters and lapel buttons to celebrity endorsements. A tale of this groundbreaking antislavery crusade and its powerful enemies, Bury The Chains gives a little-celebrated human rights watershed its due at last.