KING’S UNIVERSITY DAYS

In 1830, William King attended Glasgow University, Scotland. The major issues of his day were parliamentary representation reforms and West Indies Emancipation by William Wilberforce.

While King was in university, the Emancipation Act passed, in 1832. The Prentice System was developed to gradually free slaves over the course of 7 years, in which time slaves were not to be sold or abused. The West Indy slaves refused to work and the British government remunerated slave owners for cost of 7 years labour ($20,000,000 sterling). Slave owners were supposed to pay former slaves for their labour, however the owners refused to pay full wages.

This event deeply influenced King and he wrote about it at great length in his autobiography.