British abolitionist William Wilberforce considered the slave trade to be a crime for which all his countrymen would have to answer. In a society that allowed for such inhumanity to persist, there were no innocent bystanders. After presenting the key argument of "On the Horrors of the Slave Trade," he stated, "the nature and all the circumstances of this trade are now laid open to us; we can no longer plead ignorance." This strong sense of moral responsibility has the power to inspire Christians today who would otherwise turn a blind eye to the ongoing evils in the world .