The Agency Society
In 1832, emboldened by the likely election of a Whig government upcoming, Stephen broke off entirely from the Anti-Slavery Society. The Agency Committee became the Agency Society and they began pursuing more daring tactics - some of which were met with fierce and at times violent resistance by the West Indian interests.
The West Indian interest group began posting placards around London advocating for the benefits of slavery to the Empire. In response, Stephen has anti-slavery placards printed and recruited people to follow the West Indian groups around London and, after they posted the placard and left, immediately post over it with an anti-slavery placard. These tactics infuriated the upcoming Whig government and were denounced by Thomas Buxton. At the next meeting of the Anti-Slavery Society, members voted to condemn the approach, increasing tensions between the established and elder abolitionists and the more radical activists.
Source:
Building on the early campaign work done by Thomas Clarkson, Stephen and the Agency Society also orchestrated a lecture tour around the United Kingdom in 1832 to raise awareness and campaign for the abolitionist cause. Speakers were selected that were loyal to the immediatists cause and lectures focused on arguing against slavery based on facts and statistics. Circuits were established in advance and Society agents on the ground would promote the lecture and stir up public sentiment in advance of the lecturers arrival. These lectures were remarkably successful and, since the Society started in 1832, the number of local anti-slavery associations grew from two hundred to twelve thousand.
In one instance, the Agency Society organised lectures in Borough Market and Whitechapel, but were met with mobs of workers whose livelihoods depended on sugar from the colonies who were paid by slaveholders to shout down the speakers. Fights broke out around London. Stephen was assaulted three times and received a dagger in the post with the message 'Death to the Abolitionist!!!' on it.
