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.

If this is addressed at me, I specifically said no one needs to feel guilty about events other people participated in in the past.

So what are you doing about modern slavery?

I personally have no issue with your feelings, in fact anything that can help us understand and empathise with others can only be a good thing.

I think many do. The industrial revolution was possible because of colonisation and slavery.

If this is true then why didn’t it happen in the other continents that also had slavery at that time?
I do get your point that the colonies were a kind of trading block for raw materials which may have made them cheaper but all countries trade goods with each other.
Industrialisation in other countries such as Singapore have not included colonisation or slavery so why do you think it was necessary for the development of industrialisation in the UK?

I doubt that these signs were that prevalent in the 1980s!
They were a symptom of 1950s attitudes in SOME cities in the UK.

I wasn’t taught about slavery of any type, not even the colonisation of the Irish at school. It’s wrong.

There frankly isn't time to teach the whole of history at school. I am always reading on here the many things that apparently should be taught in school - slavery, the Holocaust, the Romans, the Tudors, the Irish situation, the Scottish Clearances, WWI, WWII, the Cold War, the Civil War, the British Empire, the Industrial Revolution. And that's just for starters. School should give us some critical thinking skills, a few basics that are essential for a functioning life, such as maths and literacy, and methods for learning - the rest is up to us.

If you don't care what people are proud of, then why did you bring it up?

It’s an interesting question. I’ve thought about it too.

Perhaps at least as long as there aren’t lingering injustices as a consequence.

@GodessOfThunder

I agree with your post in that slavery should be taught as a significant part of history in a balanced factual way.

However we should not make teaching of history a platform for perpetuating grievance for which there is definitely potential. In the US the teaching of slavery does have direct political ramifications so if we are looking at history purely academically and not as a political tool we need to be careful.

How many that want a fuller role of slavery in our school curricula would adhere to concepts like 'white privilege ' for example and want to use this subject to act as a platform to highlight current racial injustice with all its contemporary political focus?

I am not disputing that history should not be taught as accurately as possible but ðo we question the motives of those who wish changes in the portrayal of history? Is history as an academic discipline all they are concerned about?

Can you please not refer to it as 'the Irish situation'? It's history, it's not a 'situation'. It certainly wasn't for us anyway.

Love that other Irish people got here before me.
We could start by utterly changing English history teaching. I believe its still very sympathetic to Cromwell and kings before him who fecked with our chieftain system. Loosing our population, our language etc......

Is there an argument to say history should be taught in an apolitical way such that the way history is taught does not manifestly promote a political view point? For instance focusing on the history of industrial action unduly may promote union leaders as heroic and therefore engender left leaning thoughts on student's minds?

I think given the (relative) recency of slavery in historical terms we need to be careful about how much prominence we give it in British schools especially if it is implicitly used to suggest that black poor children may have a greater right to social injustice than white poor children as they can trace the roots of their current poverty to the historical reverberations of slavery?

I agree with the OP but I think thought needs to given to how the knowledge of slavery is taken by children of different races and how it moulds their political and current social.perspectives. I do not feel white children should feel shame and black children should nurture grievance from historica!.events.

I find it so strange that modern, relevant history seems to be a bit ignored, but kings from a million years ago are seemingly important. I really don't get it!

I think you're correct, but to a point. I don't think slavery or naziism should be taught without outright criticism of them. Some things are just wrong and should be labelled as such.

I’m giving MY experience of growing up in the 1980s and the signs were in numerous places in my town. I made no comment on the UK as a whole.
If you’re doubting it, then I guess you didn’t live it? Enjoy your ignorance.

Okay...but do you consider all the advantages you still enjoy today - and which came about because of the Empire - when you decide that you're not personally responsible for anything?
Of course you can do nothing about the past, but you can change the present.
No need at all to apologise - but are you willing to empty your museums?
To pay back the millions and millions (in todays money) to the countries your ancestors stole from? Because the past is past of course, no need to feel guilty about things you can't change, but you can influence the present and future.
You are responsible for that.

I don't understand why there is a perception people in the UK don't know about slavery and colonialism. They've always been a large part of the curriculum. I was taught about it in primary school and high school. Same for our DCs.
Unlike the British history in Ireland which hasn't ever been properly taught and acknowledged. Or the ongoing institutional racism against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller - which is never taught or addressed.

It 'feels' like people don't get it there. And having met a history teacher who hadn't a breeze, it seems it's not impossible. When it comes to NI and people don't know what they're on about, it's very (very!) annoying.

@Chickenkeev

I agree unambiguously that slavery was wrong and should be taught as such. However care has to be taken to not suggest it is a historical wrong that the current generation of white children need to be guilty of.

I think there is a difference in stating 'slavery is wrong' and 'slavery is wrong and is the root of racial division today so giving justification for ideas such as positive discrimination to right past wrongs'

all history is important but I just happen to think that those that advocate a more pronounced teaching of slavery aren't entirely not motivated by politics.

I absolutely agree that people shouldn't be held to account for the wrongs of those that went before them, but i do think it's a moral imperative to make them understand. It's an unfair burden tbf but very important all the same. The wounds for the victims are still raw. In general, understanding is a positive thing. (Sorry, sounds a bit pontificatey again!)

@Chickenkeev ,

Yes I agree understanding is important and we certainly shouldn't hide the past. I think slavery should be taught in a manner though that does lead to understanding as you say and not to blame.

The problem with ideas such as black history month is it ties history to a race and as such gives one race a certain privilege to its contents. If you have a white history month of course that would be viewed as racist. The overall point being that history should be taught so that horrors of the past aren't repeated but it shouldn't be used as weapon in racial politcs.

Black history month is a different matter though. So so much stuff there. So much awful treatment of black people. I can't really comment as am not black. But i do get annoyed when Irish history is dismissed.

Ooo your racism is really showing here. So to be clear you as a white person are the adult but black people are children?

Very interesting as infantilisation was often used as a justification for slavery. Black people were though of as a child race and it was argued that it was the duty of white people to subjugate.

It’s funny how according to you, slavery had little impact in Britain but yet in 2023 it is clear you have been socialised to feel the same way about us. Such is the enduring legacy of the slave trade.

Not all places develop in the same way and for the same reasons. I don’t think you can compare development of Britain with places like Singapore, South Korea and China. They had favourable access to mature foreign markets and significant foreign investment. Add to that, that their development was by design whereas the Industrial Revolution was a more “natural” process.

The Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have been possible as it was without slavery but no one is arguing there weren’t other factors which made Britain unique. That doesn’t change the fact that slave wealth drove the creation of factories and both before and after the slave trade ended sugar and particularly cotton still relied on raw materials from slave holding nations.

The conditions of the English working class during the first half of the 19th century were absolutely appalling. Five-year-old children going down the mines and suchlike. It is horrible to then blame their descendents for slavery,

A contemporary writer was of the opinion that slaves were better off than factory workers because they cost their owners money, like a good horse, and it was bad business not to look after one's investment, whereas when a factory worker or a miner died, there were plenty more where they came from.