Most Britons do not know scale of UK’s involvement in slavery, survey finds
-
True and we did a lot of it to people who looked similar to us and lived on the same small island.
It was legitimately everyone it was done to. There was a true global empire that is unlikely to ever be replicated. It hard to comprehend just how much of the world was subjugated.
-
It was legitimately everyone it was done to. There was a true global empire that is unlikely to ever be replicated. It hard to comprehend just how much of the world was subjugated.
So the silver lining is that at least we fucked over everyone equally. It really does prove the adage that the bullied become the bullies, since we'd been invaded many times.
-
And I thought we (the US) were the only ones this dumb.
dumbuneducated. -
So the silver lining is that at least we fucked over everyone equally. It really does prove the adage that the bullied become the bullies, since we'd been invaded many times.
That isn't the lesson you should have taken from this.
-
That isn't the lesson you should have taken from this.
The first part was irony
-
Wait until everyone realizes that everyone has been a slave since ancient civilization on every continent in the world.
They might be surprised.
Yes, the more notable thing is that, for some reason, the British decided the practice should end.
-
Britons are widely ignorant of the scale and legacy of Britain’s involvement in slavery and colonialism, a survey has found, with the vast majority unaware how many people were enslaved, how long the trade went on for, or for how long UK taxpayers were paying off a government loan to “compensate” enslavers after abolition.
The poll, released to coincide with Tuesday’s UN International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, was commissioned by the Repair Campaign, which is working with Caricom to secure reparatory justice for member states through health, education and infrastructure projects.
The sample of more than 2,000 people representative of the UK population found 85% did not know that more than 3 million people had been forcibly shipped from Africa to the Caribbean by British enslavers.
I feel like most of Europe isn't, because Europeans get real uppity when slavery in America comes up, but like...y'all started it.
-
The scots, welsh, Irish etc don't look much different and one point of relevance is that African countries are asking for reparations. Also various places want their stolen objects back from our museums.
Also various places want their stolen objects back from our museums.
-
Also I was never taught about our museums hoarding stolen objects from the places we went and acted like total assholes, and which they still won't give back in most cases. Some of them have great religious or cultural value and the peoples they were stolen from have asked for them back.
Yeah, I was definitely not taught about that!
-
I feel like most of Europe isn't, because Europeans get real uppity when slavery in America comes up, but like...y'all started it.
Most of the Europe was not part of the colonization of Africa though. It was like seven countries. Don't blame all europeans for what those countries did.
-
In England we aren't taught about our involvement in slavery in school and not taught much about slavery at all IIRC.
We aren't taught much about the former British empire, our treatment of the welsh and scottish, involvement in the Irish famines... Notice a pattern? Kids are usually only taught about the parts of our history which make us look good, or old stuff we can blame on weird old fashioned people. So the world wars and something about the monarchy eg henry 8th, plus our invasions by William the conqueror, the Vikings etc.
Most of what I know about slavery came from TV series and movies I've watched as an adult.
The slave trade is a mandatory part of the curriculum at ks3. You've just forgotten. And it's pretty worts and all as far as Britain's involvement goes.
I agree with your sentiments though, everyone likes to mythologise their history.
-
The slave trade is a mandatory part of the curriculum at ks3. You've just forgotten. And it's pretty worts and all as far as Britain's involvement goes.
I agree with your sentiments though, everyone likes to mythologise their history.
That's good! I wonder how long that's been part of the curriculum (I'm getting on now lol) and if I could have forgotten. I remember a lot from when I was young.
-
In England we aren't taught about our involvement in slavery in school and not taught much about slavery at all IIRC.
We aren't taught much about the former British empire, our treatment of the welsh and scottish, involvement in the Irish famines... Notice a pattern? Kids are usually only taught about the parts of our history which make us look good, or old stuff we can blame on weird old fashioned people. So the world wars and something about the monarchy eg henry 8th, plus our invasions by William the conqueror, the Vikings etc.
Most of what I know about slavery came from TV series and movies I've watched as an adult.
I learned quite a bit when i was in secondary school around 2010ish
-
Most Britons probably don't know about how the British navy patrolled the African coast for 50 years trying to stop slavery. Its a recent TIL for me, anyway.
Yes sure. But that doesn't play along with the current narrative. So history shouldn't be brought up like that. This is about revisionism. We all should feel guilty for something we have no power over so we can discuss non issues instead of actual problems.
-
I learned quite a bit when i was in secondary school around 2010ish
I learned what we did in Scotland from braveheart and outlander
-
In England we aren't taught about our involvement in slavery in school and not taught much about slavery at all IIRC.
We aren't taught much about the former British empire, our treatment of the welsh and scottish, involvement in the Irish famines... Notice a pattern? Kids are usually only taught about the parts of our history which make us look good, or old stuff we can blame on weird old fashioned people. So the world wars and something about the monarchy eg henry 8th, plus our invasions by William the conqueror, the Vikings etc.
Most of what I know about slavery came from TV series and movies I've watched as an adult.
I had same experience as you and finished school in 99. Not a thing about slavery.
-
I feel like most of Europe isn't, because Europeans get real uppity when slavery in America comes up, but like...y'all started it.
Nobody started it. It's ever-present from prehistory to today.
-
Britons are widely ignorant of the scale and legacy of Britain’s involvement in slavery and colonialism, a survey has found, with the vast majority unaware how many people were enslaved, how long the trade went on for, or for how long UK taxpayers were paying off a government loan to “compensate” enslavers after abolition.
The poll, released to coincide with Tuesday’s UN International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, was commissioned by the Repair Campaign, which is working with Caricom to secure reparatory justice for member states through health, education and infrastructure projects.
The sample of more than 2,000 people representative of the UK population found 85% did not know that more than 3 million people had been forcibly shipped from Africa to the Caribbean by British enslavers.
....with the vast majority unaware how many people were enslaved, how long the trade went on for, or for how long UK taxpayers were paying off a government loan to “compensate” enslavers after abolition.
Talk about having your cake and eating it.
Taxpayers paying for the freedom of enslaved people shows how dedicated the British people were to ending the Atlantic slave trade. The fact that they try to use this as a negative in our history stuns me. You can spin it as "compensating slavers" but the fact is the person was free. And at that time the UK did everything in it's power to free as many as it could by any method.
Yes, the empire has it's history with slavery and British citizens were involved in the slave trade. However British sailors died fighting to end to transatlantic slave trade. Sometimes, I expect there was British on both sides.
If you're going to educate people about our history you have to teach the negatives and the positives, and not spin the one in to the other.
-
....with the vast majority unaware how many people were enslaved, how long the trade went on for, or for how long UK taxpayers were paying off a government loan to “compensate” enslavers after abolition.
Talk about having your cake and eating it.
Taxpayers paying for the freedom of enslaved people shows how dedicated the British people were to ending the Atlantic slave trade. The fact that they try to use this as a negative in our history stuns me. You can spin it as "compensating slavers" but the fact is the person was free. And at that time the UK did everything in it's power to free as many as it could by any method.
Yes, the empire has it's history with slavery and British citizens were involved in the slave trade. However British sailors died fighting to end to transatlantic slave trade. Sometimes, I expect there was British on both sides.
If you're going to educate people about our history you have to teach the negatives and the positives, and not spin the one in to the other.
Ya the "we spent money" makes the writer seem like and idiot.
-
Yes, the more notable thing is that, for some reason, the British decided the practice should end.
When it was no longer profitable.
