.Slavery abolition act 1833 historyhit.com |
The widespread demonstrations in 2020 across the US and many places in the UK in the wake of killing of a Black American George Floyd in the day by the city cops in busy downtown Minneapolis city (Minnesota, USA) witnessed the toppling of Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol, England and other statues in the USA. The candid publication by University College London in 2013 of The Legacies of British Slave - ownership (LBS) and racial practices in the colonies exposed a large chunk of British population to their past shameful harrowing dark histories.
Royal African Co. Coat of Arms. en.wikipedia.org |
Slave ship fineartamerica.com |
Colston statue, Bristol, England. en.wikipedia.org |
But a large section of the society tried to ignore them and were not ready to accept the perversion of British officials in India and elsewhere and colonial atrocities inflicted on people of different ethnicity. This forced the unbiased history teacher, labor party leader and socialist Jeremy Corbyn, a few years ago to recommend teaching of Black history along with colonialism, slavery and British empire, because he strongly felt, “Black history is British history.” He suggested that it should be made part of the national curriculum.
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn .pinimg.com |
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn. en.wikipedia.org |
Above images; Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (born 26 May 1949) is a British politician. He who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labor Party from 2015 to 2020.He describes himself as a socialist. has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983. As of October 2020, Corbyn sits in the House of Commons as an independent, following the suspension of the whip. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Corbyn).........
The colored people's contribution to the growth of empire was substantial including Africa and the Indian subcontinent and was good enough to pay serious attention to it. The British school curriculum purposely does not cover colonial atrocities, particularly in India, Kenya and S. Africa. Nor does it cover black history and how the British Bobs had built the empire on the pangs of pain, loss of self-esteem, blood bath and death of the African natives. They were treated much worse than cattle herds as one would see in the ranches of Texas and Oklahoma, USA.
Slavery in the UK>baptist.org.uk |
Slave abolitionist, Wilberforce. en.wikipedia.org |
Abolition of slavery. lideserve.com |
Above image: Initiated in 1783, the triangular sea route took British-made goods to Africa to buy slaves, transported the enslaved to the West Indies, and then brought slave-grown products such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton to Britain. Slave trade was a money spinner, contributing about 80 % of Great Britain's foreign income. British ships primarily took over the transportation, supplying slaves to the French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and British colonies. In peak years, they carried forty thousand enslaved men, women and children across the Atlantic in the horrible conditions of the middle passage. Of the estimated 11 million Africans transported into slavery, about 1.4 million died during the voyage.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce)..................
The city of Bristol was built on the riches of slavery. When slavery was abolished, hefty compensation was given to the slave trade companies / owners for the loss of slaves, ships, etc., incurred by them (47,000 claimants). It was more beneficial to the slave trading companies. because the then British government paid them 20 million pounds in compensation – 40 percent of its budget. That is some 17 billion pounds (estimated at more than $21bn in today’s money). The government took out a loan to pay it, which was only paid off – by British taxpayer money – in 2015. The pay-outs went to 47,000 individuals and families ranging from aristocrats with large sugar plantations to poor widows who kept a few slaves as passive income. John Gladstone got a huge compensation - £106,769,the equivalent of £12 million ($15.59 million) today's value. His son William Gladstone, became four times PM of the UK between 1868 and 1894 and the family still owns a very large estate in WalesThe human rights violators got away with a huge sum, but the victims - physically and mentally damaged humans (slaves) were left high and dry. No compensation to their grief-stricken families, not even a penny!!.
The National Trust’s properties in the UK are a popular tourist attraction, with tens of thousands of domestic and international visitors make a beeline to its castles, forts, archaeological and industrial monuments and parks,. In September 2020 the Trust for the first time revealed the truth that 93 properties have link to slavery and colonialism during the British Empire. And at least 50 such properties in England and Wales are linked to the East India Company and their employees who earned fortunes in India and returned home to build large houses and live in grand style. Such returning wealthy British Bobs whose earnings in India included part of ''commission'' or illegal gratification were better known as ‘nabobs.’ In the 18th and 19th centuries, they also wielded political power in Westminster.
NT properties. Landon Park in Surrey |
Above image: Landon Park in Surrey had links to the slave trade and also links to money made from plantations................
NT's Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire bbc.co.uk |
Above image: Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire was directly linked to British colonies and slavery though the cotton trade.................
NT's Arcy Fife’s Nunnington Hall in Yorkshire. nt.global.ssl.fastly.net |
Clive's Powis Castle, Wales.upload.wikimedia.org |
Above images: NT properties liked to wealth earned in colonial India. The 115-page 'Interim Report on the Connections between Colonialism and Properties is now in the Care of the National Trust.........
Imperial colonial looters and articulated banditos - commonly called Nabobs left behind vast wealth and many of the so called British aristocrats are their descendants (now forming the elite group). Do the British children know that the forefathers of many of these aristocrats made their fortunes in India or elsewhere and had links with slavery - run by specified registered companies with support from the government.
Dr Tarnya Cooper, the National Trust's curatorial and collections director said: "Colonialism and slavery were central to the national economy from the 17th to the 19th centuries''. As such as suggested by British Socialist Black history is British history. So is the colonial history of the subcontinent from the vast revenue which British imperialism was built and consolidated in the later centuries.
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-british-raj-in-india-195275
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_Compensation_Act_1837
https://www.tortoisemedia.com/thinkin/britain-and-slavery-who-profited-and-what-should-they-do-now
https://historyguild.org/slavery-reparations-who-got-paid/