Anthony Benezet's Some Historical Account of Guinea — Foundational Abolitionist Text

Quaker teacher Anthony Benezet published Some Historical Account of Guinea in 1772, drawing on firsthand accounts from African travelers to describe West African societies before European contact — directly refuting the claim that Africans were 'savages' who benefited from enslavement. The book was read by Thomas Clarkson, John Wesley, and Granville Sharp, and shaped British abolitionist thought. Benezet operated one of the first schools for Black children in Philadelphia and corresponded with a