Slavery and Colonialism Are Everyone’s History

[GodessOfThunder]

I was on a thread recently where posters were complaining of slavery and colonialism being “shoehorned” into exhibitions, and were strongly “pushing back” against it being given prominence as a topic in museums and at historic sites. Indeed, transatlantic slavery and colonialism often seem to be regarded as niche historical subjects of interest more to people of colour, and involving only a small number of rich white slave owners and colonial officials.

This perception however, does not reflect reality. Transatlantic slavery effected not only millions of Africans, but pretty much everyone in Britain too. Similarly, colonialism effected not only millions of subjects in the British Empire, but everyone “at home” also. The economy these projects fuelled changed what ordinary people ate and drank and what they wore. They changed how British people thought about non-European people in ways that continue to shape their mindset and create injustice today. Slavery and colonialism helped fund the Industrial Revolution and the jobs people in Britain performed, and much more too.

I’m not suggesting anyone today should feel guilty for these activities. But, these subjects are still all too often not regarded as part of all of our histories. This means attempts to give them proper prominence are met with resistance. If we are to understand British history at a public level properly there is still a great deal of work to do.

Great point.

I decided to have a look at what the History curriculum is for History in secondary school at KS3, which is prior to GCSE, so should give a good idea of what subjects are covered in school at the moment.

So the curriculum is below and I've highlighted the subjects which have appeared on this thread.

The development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509 Examples (non-statutory) This could include:
 the Norman Conquest  Christendom, the importance of religion and the Crusades
 the struggle between Church and crown
 Magna Carta and the emergence of Parliament
 the English campaigns to conquer Wales and Scotland up to 1314
 society, economy and culture: for example, feudalism, religion in daily life (parishes, monasteries, abbeys), farming, trade and towns (especially the wool trade), art, architecture and literature
 the Black Death and its social and economic impact
 the Peasants’ Revolt
 the Hundred Years War
 the Wars of the Roses; Henry VII and attempts to restore stability

The development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745
Examples (non-statutory) This could include:
 Renaissance and Reformation in Europe
 the English Reformation and Counter Reformation (Henry VIII to Mary I)
 the Elizabethan religious settlement and conflict with Catholics (including Scotland, Spain and Ireland)
 the first colony in America and first contact with India
 the causes and events of the civil wars throughout Britain
 the Interregnum (including Cromwell in Ireland)
 the Restoration, ‘Glorious Revolution’ and power of Parliament
 the Act of Union of 1707, the Hanoverian succession and the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745
 society, economy and culture across the period: for example, work and leisure in town and country, religion and superstition in daily life, theatre, art, music and literature

Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901
Examples (non-statutory) This could include:
 the Enlightenment in Europe and Britain, with links back to 17th-Century thinkers and scientists and the founding of the Royal Society
 Britain’s transatlantic slave trade: its effects and its eventual abolition
 the Seven Years War and The American War of Independence
 the French Revolutionary wars
 Britain as the first industrial nation – the impact on society
 party politics, extension of the franchise and social reform
 the development of the British Empire with a depth study (for example, of India)
 Ireland and Home Rule
 Darwin’s ‘On The Origin of Species’

Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day
In addition to studying the Holocaust, this could include: Examples (non-statutory)
 women’s suffrage
 the First World War and the Peace Settlement
 the inter-war years: the Great Depression and the rise of dictators
 the Second World War and the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill
 the creation of the Welfare State
 Indian independence and end of Empire
 social, cultural and technological change in post-war British society
 Britain’s place in the world since 1945

A local history study
Examples (non-statutory)
 a depth study linked to one of the British areas of study listed above
 a study over time, testing how far sites in their locality reflect aspects of national history (some sites may predate 1066)

The study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066 Examples (non-statutory)
 the changing nature of political power in Britain, traced through selective case studies from the Iron Age to the present
 Britain’s changing landscape from the Iron Age to the present
 a study of an aspect of social history, such as the impact through time of the migration of people to, from and within the British Isles
 a study in depth into a significant turning point: for example, the Neolithic Revolution

At least one study of a significant society or issue in world history and its interconnections with other world developments [for example, Mughal India 1526-1857; China’s Qing dynasty1644-1911; Changing Russian empires c.1800-1989; USA in the 20th Century].

That’s good to see. Sadly a lot of older people lack this knowledge and some are resistant or unreceptive to engaging with it in museums etc.

Those two things you mention are abstractions - it was part of a longterm broader system of oppressive conditions of land tenure, poverty, status and rights etc. Yes, grain was available but exported while people were dying. There wasn't just 'the famine' - it is called The Great Famine or The Great Hunger - as there were many lesser famines or crises. There is a lot of history to it and relatively few will know it in England just as little is generally known or remembered about many other histories.

I meant to reply to Myguineapig.

@LeaderBee

So you believe in the long-disproved trickle-down theory of economics.

@narniabusiness

Thanks for sharing this. It’s very interesting to see.

@GodessOfThunder

Most are non statutory though. Now I think teachers who work in schools which serve poc demographics will teach accordingly but I highly doubt most will choose to teach these options when faced with more European centric and perhaps more familiar choices. It feels like lip service.

If you have evidence to present to the contrary i'd be willing to see it.

You asked me those questions. I gave you well founded answers.

No matter your colour, age or gender:
If you stack shelfs in Tesco you get the same wages.
If you drive a truck for Eddie Stobart you get the same wages.
If you work as a nurse, you get the same wages as same band and role.

There is documented evidence of certain health conditions being more prevalent in certain ethnicities.
There is documented evidence of higher levels of obesity in certain ethnicities.
There is documented evidence of poor diet within certain ethnicities.

Colleges and Universities give everyone the opportunity to educate themselves. why certain ethnicities do better than others is anyones guess. But in most cases is likely down to the student.

Now, not one of those statements are racist, So I ask you not to call me one.

@MCOut you are wasting your time with TransitVan as their posts are full of denial that institutional racism exists in our society.

As Ibram X. Kendi said,
”This denial of racism is the heartbeat of racism. Where there is suffering from racist policies, there are denials that those policies are racist. The beat of denial sounds the same across time and space”

The allegory of the red and pink flowers might help transitvan understand better that different ethnicities do not have the same opportunities and that poverty is the #1 factor causing the poor diet that then causes health inequalities such as obesity, diabetes, rickets, etc.
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/confronting-racism-denial-using-stories-to-communicate-across-divides

why certain ethnicities do better than others is anyones guess

Guess what?

Some people have thought about it a little bit harder than you have, and their conclusions are a bit more thorough than just "anyone's guess":

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=report+on+educational+achievement+across+ethnicities+uk&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

Why don't people show as much passion over modern day slavery? There is more slavery now than at any other time in history, this includes babies and small children, black, white and Asian. Yes historic slavery was awful, but if everyone fought and protested about the slavery of today, something may get done, even in a small way.

I actually agree that slavery and colonialism are exceptionally poorly understood today.

The emphasis on slavery and colonialism as "historical" and particularly in reference to transatlantic slavery in the 1700s and colonialism in Africa in the 1800s, and its teaching as "bad stuff that bad people did for the sake of being bad", is the primary cause of the misconceptions.

A proper understanding of slavery and colonialism would include grappling with the economic forces and contemporary rationalisations that resulted in these setups - and would help us recognise it in different forms today. China doesn't have any colonies on paper - but are its operations in Africa are essentially extractive colonial projects just without the settler aspect? How should we think about loans from the IMF? Did any countries do colonialism "better" or "worse" and why? What modern forms of indentured labour are acceptable (prisons) or not (taking maids' passports away)?

Wailing about how Edward so-and-so from 1785 inherited a bit of cash from the plantations is utterly useless in terms of helping us address modern challenges and ethical questions.

First, people do. Second, no there is not more slavery now than at any other time in history after you adjust for how many billions more people are alive now. Thirdly, things are getting done about it. I’m shocked that someone who professes to be concerned about modern slavery isn’t aware of the extensive international pressure and funding of anti-slavery law enforcement has been and is being done worldwide to combat it.

The fact that most of the people who go on about how we need to apologise for historical transatlantic slavery are also enthusiastically in favour of "sex workers" with no acknowledgement of the horrors TODAY of sex trafficking particularly grinds my gears!

Perhaps you could link one which shows students from equally poor backgrounds and how their attainment reflects compared to other students.
As example. Take students from Moss Side Manchester, Glasgow East & Peckham. Do White students in any of these areas regularly do considerably better than their POC counterparts?

MoxieFox
Nail hit firmly on the head there. Poverty is the number one reason for poor diet & low education attainment. That isn't a Black only thing. No matter how much you wish it was.

Do you have any proof of this strange and illogical allegation about “most people”?

Seems extraordinary.

In the immortal words of the late Adge Cutler "I weren't there, so I don't care."

Ah, but we Black people are far more likely to be in poverty due to structural racism and the legacy of the slave trade and slavery.

So it’s not an ‘only Black thing’ but the accident of being born Black massively increases your likelihood of also being poor…which then leads to increased risk of poor diet & poor health, lack of life opportunities, lack of access to good education, lack of access to good jobs/careers.

Societal racism then makes it harder for a Black child vs a White child when both are born into poverty. Studies of teacher bias in grading consistently shows that Black children are given lower grades than white children for the same work (when same piece of work is attributed to a Black vs white student). Studies also show that racism means it is harder for Black youth to get a job, and they are far less likely to get the same pay for the same job. You mentioned stacking shelves in Tescos or driving a van you get the same pay- er no you don’t. Numerous studies have shown that there is an ethnicity pay gap in the private sector. A white shelf stacker is likely to be on 50p and hour more than a Black shelf stacker because companies have latitude to not pay everyone exactly the minimum wage.

I know a 'generation' is generally considered to be 20-30 years, I'm a keen genealogist. The post I originally responded to was talking about 'in living memory' rather than about generations. Hope that makes my post clearer.

If you open your eyes to a more national level, you will see the same prejudice being dealt out to other children coming from the same background. The lack of motivation from teachers towards the children of the children they taught 25 years ago, who have never attained anything. The belief that it is a self perpetuating circle.

How many children born into poverty are by the next generation doing considerably better. Does that far exceed POC.

Could you possibly link the studies showing the pay gap in more manual jobs like above. Especially including large companies like Tesco Asda etc.

I suspect it is more our own prejudices that keep us where we are. We use excuses, like 'the teachers don't care' or the 'Police are on our backs because we are from Moss Side/Glasgow East/Peckham'. Only WE can do something to improve our lot.

Check out the twitter feed of every "progressive" student activist group in the country? Are you saying you think they're not often a package deal? I mean among people who are really activists about it.

Hi there ,

As was mentioned upthread, to
compare these things, with respect, is to commit the logical fallacy referred to as a “false dilemma.”

Would you question people thinking about the history of WW2 and its ongoing effects on the world today, about the personal actions they may, or may not, have taken regarding advancing peace in the Ukraine? I don’t think you would. So why do you do the equivalent with slavery? What is your motivation?

Furthermore, there is a significant difference between the chattel slavery of the 18th c and todays slavery. That isn’t to say modern slavery isn’t an important issue - it is -, just that concern over these issues isn’t a zero sum game.

Make sense?

So yes, I do agree classism exists and is a structural inequality affecting the poor and working class. However, so does racism as a structural inequality. And when you are both poor and Black, you are at a disadvantage compared to someone who is poor and white. It’s a double hit on your life chances.

I don’t agree it is up to those that are oppressed by the “isms” that affect them to fix society. Currently it is true that we are left to fend for ourselves, but this whole mythos of a meritocracy needs to end. It’s not true that only we can do something, all those in power with privilege and money and influence can do a lot to improve the equality and fairness of society. Starting by not tax dodging! Unfortunately, the elites in society like to convince us that society is fair and it’s our own fault (or our parents fault) if we don’t succeed. It’s a mechanism of control to prevent civil unrest.