The Slaves That Time Forgot
By John Martin
They came as slaves; vast human cargo transported on tall British ships bound for the Americas. They were shipped by the hundreds of thousands and included men, women, and even the youngest of children.
Whenever they rebelled or even disobeyed an order, they were punished in the harshest ways. Slave owners would hang their human property by their hands and set their hands or feet on fire as one form of punishment. They were burned alive and had their heads placed on pikes in the marketplace as a warning to other captives.
We don’t really need to go through all of the gory details, do we? After all, we know all too well the atrocities of the African slave trade. But, are we talking about African slavery?
King James II and Charles I led a continued effort to enslave the Irish. Britain’s famed Oliver Cromwell furthered this practice of dehumanizing one’s next door neighbor.
The Irish slave trade began when James II sold 30,000 Irish prisoners as slaves to the New World. His Proclamation of 1625 required Irish political prisoners be sent overseas and sold to English settlers in the West Indies. By the mid 1600s, the Irish were the main slaves sold to Antigua and Montserrat. At that time, 70% of the total population of Montserrat were Irish slaves.
Ireland quickly became the biggest source of human livestock for English merchants. The majority of the early slaves to the New World were actually white.
From 1641 to 1652, over 500,000 Irish were killed by the English and another 300,000 were sold as slaves. Ireland’s population fell from about 1,500,000 to 600,000 in one single decade. Families were ripped apart as the British did not allow Irish dads to take their wives and children with them across the Atlantic. This led to a helpless population of homeless women and children. Britain’s solution was to auction them off as well.
During the 1650s, over 100,000 Irish children between the ages of 10 and 14 were taken from their parents and sold as slaves in the West Indies, Virginia and New England. In this decade, 52,000 Irish (mostly women and children) were sold to Barbados and Virginia. Another 30,000 Irish men and women were also transported and sold to the highest bidder. In 1656, Cromwell ordered that 2000 Irish children be taken to Jamaica and sold as slaves to English settlers.
Many people today will avoid calling the Irish slaves what they truly were: Slaves. They’ll come up with terms like “Indentured Servants” to describe what occurred to the Irish. However, in most cases from the 17th and 18th centuries, Irish slaves were nothing more than human cattle.
As an example, the African slave trade was just beginning during this same period. It is well recorded that African slaves, not tainted with the stain of the hated Catholic theology and more expensive to purchase, were often treated far better than their Irish counterparts.
African slaves were very expensive during the late 1600s (50 Sterling). Irish slaves came cheap (no more than 5 Sterling). If a planter whipped or branded or beat an Irish slave to death, it was never a crime. A death was a monetary setback, but far cheaper than killing a more expensive African.
The English masters quickly began breeding the Irish women for both their own personal pleasure and for greater profit. Children of slaves were themselves slaves, which increased the size of the master’s free workforce. Even if an Irish woman somehow obtained her freedom, her kids would remain slaves of her master. Thus, Irish moms, even with this new found emancipation, would seldom abandon their kids and would remain in servitude.
In time, the English thought of a better way to use these women (in many cases, girls as young as 12) to increase their market share: The settlers began to breed Irish women and girls with African men to produce slaves with a distinct complexion. These new “mulatto” slaves brought a higher price than Irish livestock and, likewise, enabled the settlers to save money rather than purchase new African slaves.
This practice of interbreeding Irish females with African men went on for several decades and was so widespread that, in 1681, legislation was passed “forbidding the practice of mating Irish slave women to African slave men for the purpose of producing slaves for sale.” In short, it was stopped only because it interfered with the profits of a large slave transport company.
England continued to ship tens of thousands of Irish slaves for more than a century. Records state that, after the 1798 Irish Rebellion, thousands of Irish slaves were sold to both America and Australia.
There were horrible abuses of both African and Irish captives. One British ship even dumped 1,302 slaves into the Atlantic Ocean so that the crew would have plenty of food to eat.
There is little question that the Irish experienced the horrors of slavery as much (if not more in the 17th Century) as the Africans did. There is, also, very little question that those brown, tanned faces you witness in your travels to the West Indies are very likely a combination of African and Irish ancestry.
In 1839, Britain finally decided on it’s own to end it’s participation in Satan’s highway to hell and stopped transporting slaves. While their decision did not stop pirates from doing what they desired, the new law slowly concluded THIS chapter of nightmarish Irish misery.
But, if anyone, black or white, believes that slavery was only an African experience, then they’ve got it completely wrong.
Irish slavery is a subject worth remembering, not erasing from our memories. But, where are our public (and PRIVATE) schools???? Where are the history books? Why is it so seldom discussed?
Do the memories of hundreds of thousands of Irish victims merit more than a mention from an unknown writer? Or is their story to be one that their English pirates intended: To (unlike the African book) have the Irish story utterly and completely disappear as if it never happened.
None of the Irish victims ever made it back to their homeland to describe their ordeal. These are the lost slaves; the ones that time and biased history books conveniently forgot.
http://afgen.com/forgotten_slaves.html
i am a descendent of the Irish slaves of barbados.
the Irish slaves were the first slaves on the island some 15 years before any African slave set foot on barbados soil.
SO WE WERE THE FIRST SLAVES ON BARBADOS.
it is well hidden it seems for tourism reasons.
BUT THE THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH.
BYE THE WAY THE LAST SLAVES OF THE 19TH CENTURY
WERE THE JEWS .after slavery was abolished in barbados in
1845.and in america a short time later!see-http://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-last-slaves-of-the-20th-century-the-so-called-white-slaves-of-the-nazis-a-dirge-by-lion/
umm…my friend the truth of the matter is the Irish that were sent to Barbados were in fact Black people of Ireland. While there were some whites or mullatoes in the mix as well the majority were Black. Some references you might want to review would be the National Dictionary of Biography edited by Stephen Leslie and Virginia Colonial Militias by Mr. Bockstruck. just to name two. Furthermore, much of the reason the Irish were treated and even at times clumped together with negroes is because much of the modern Irish were mulattoes. During the Jacobite Rebellions many of the Black Irishmen or Wild men as they were known were slaughtered and were victims of genocides. The ones that weren’t were sent to the Islands as servants/slaves. Others mixed with the white population or “passed”. Many people don’t know this history which is why it can be confusing to some. Historian David Mac Ritchie wrote extensively on this topic as well in his book “Ancient and Modern Britons Vol 1.
Every race throughout history has been a slave at one point in time, the Irish are no different. Even Darwin diminished the value of the Irish by placing them as the least of all other races. And this stands to this day as the idea of evolution becomes more and more accepted. The only difference is the Irish no longer use it as a crutch for acceptance. And that is what sets us Irish apart.
I used my real name for this response for a purpose. I think the name “Sean Findley” sounds Irish enough.
It is true that the Irish were treated like dogs up until the middle of the 20th century. I have no idea why. For such a small nation, there have been so many literary and scientific geniuses. Playwrights extraordinaire.
I think reparations might be due to the descendents of all who have been enslaved.
But America shouldn’t be held accountable.
England and the Netherlands need to pony up some cool cash and rest their souls.
Why do whites always think they know a black person’s struggle? Nobody tells the Jews how to hurt, Nobody tells the Indians to get over it, why is it We blacks who have suffered most have to get over something that is STILL happening? Tell me how many unarmed Irish, Jewish, Indian kids got slaughtered this year and their killer walk away scot free? Btw the way ALL 3 of these groups got tremendous help, they didn’t “GET OVER IT AND PULL THEMSELVES UP BY THE BOOTSTRAP”, like you arrogant europeans like to believe. The Irish slaves actually formed an alliance with the blacks and begin leading revolts. The movie “Gangs of New York” is a mild version of it. The British, GAVE irish White PRIVILEGE, and control of the police department, and you have been WHITE (not irish) ever since. The Jews received the State of Israel, land worth of 1.5 Billion Dollars from West Germany, and receives $20 million annually from US. The Indians received reservations and they got rich from the resources in the land, made them in casinos and get 100s of millions annually, along with some tribes being tax exempt. The Japanese Americans received $20,000 each after World War 2. Black people have never told these groups of people to get over it, why does everybody tell us to “STOP COMPLAINING”? Did we received reparations after even though we have suffered longer than all the groups i mentioned before COMBINED (400+ years)? No. Reparations was given to White Women.
Irish and Scottish were enslaved for thousands of years! You guys get 400 years witch I would consider a taste of slavery and you milk it everyday. Black people are repaid with there welfare and your race card you get to pull not to mention the countless negro charities that usually will pay for anyones scholarship As long as your a shade darker than burnt. The white man only needs to sit back and watch you destroy yourself. Why are you crying you guys get your own month and a horrible president who disregards the law just as much as the commen folk. Fucken cry baby’s
The Irish/Scottish people were not enslaved for thousands of years. LOL. White people haven’t even been on the planet for that long, a mere 6,000 years.
Caucasians have been around for at least 50,000 years. Cro-Magnons were proto caucasoids, and their history reaches back to the upper paleolithic era. If you are jest and referring to the nonsensical idea that the earth is only 6000 years old, you should know that specious drivel was invented by a 16th century Irishman named Bishop James Ussher. Using the buybull as “evidence”, Ussher invented his false chronology. Modern Humans, Homo Sapiens are believed to have emerged about 195,000 years ago in Africa.
My goodness, you have been dumbed down-White folks and their recessive genes are new to the planet-you cannot get black from pale, but pale can proceed from Black
6000 is the length the hybrids been here, Blacks been here over 200,000 yr. arguing over who was first the America or the African
Fossil evidence suggests that modern humans evolved in East Africa around 200,000 years ago, since fossils more than 150,000 years old are known from Ethiopia and Kenya. However, genetic data from recent African populations suggests that other regions may also have been important.
Dumbass.
*The more you know*
I just read somewhere, darned if I can remember that some Asian fossils have been dated older than some of the oldest African fossils. That aside, what is important to note that no matter what continent, country or area. Man has been cruel to man since as far back as it can be documented. Civilizations were built on the lives and backs of slaves. Does that make it right? NO! Does it need to stop YES! We are supposed to be civilized, and science has proven over and over that we are all the same; organs and body parts can be transferred across the races when they match. What we have going on now that has been going on is class wars. We also have slavery happening under our noses which one would think those who’s ancestors have experienced it would be hyper-vigilant about it happening to others. Over a million people per year, just in the U.S. alone are being transported and traded as sex slaves, against their will. If we are outraged and angry about slavery, where is the outrage and anger for these people? Where is the outrage and anger for those who are kidnapped from their villages, or sold from their villages, then locked into factories to work for these large global corporations and companies? None of us can change what our ancestors are responsible for, what , what’s been done to our ancestors, but we can and do have the responsibility to respond to what’s being done to others today; or not a single one of us has any high ground or right to claim they were treated badly. We consume the goods that these forced laborers are producing around the globe. We are no better than those who did the enslaving before us if we don’t stop and change what is happening now.
6,000 years IS thousands of years. As long as its more than 1,000 it thousands. When, exactly did non-white people appear on the planet?….since your apparently believe the different skin types appeared separately.
APL, said “The Irish/Scottish people were not enslaved for thousands of years. LOL. White people haven’t even been on the planet for that long, a mere 6,000 years.”
3,000 years adds up to “thousands”. Two thousand years would be “a couple” thousands of years. Slavery is age old, since the dawn of time. So you were saying?
Uhh, 6,000 IS thousands..just saying
The Irish & Scottish were enslaved for thousands of years? That is a GOTdamn lie. Really, you think we’ve only experienced a pinch of slavery? We still have people suffering from Stockholm syndrome to this very day. Not to mention the Emmet Till’s(Trayvon, Michael, Eric, etc…) of the month. Every group benefits from welfare(especially white females) so take your petty insults and stereotypes elsewhere. You had the nerve to name yourself tired Irish/Scottish American. What the hell are you tired of exactly? Spewing your racist drivel. Because I sure am tired of it. The white man needs to sit back and keep his dirty albino hands out of non-White business. Ye have yet to do that.
Typical. When you have trouble fitting the truth with logic you call names and pull the race card. I feel sorry for those of you that feel we should carry you with our hard work. Learn the facts not the hear say that a neighbor told you, or the one sided history modifying professors at east coast schools tell you. Read our history from the 1800’s if you can find it. You may not like the way they talk but you will learn the truth. Start at the library.
Not a lie. read your REAL history. Every race has been enslaved. We are still slaves, slavery is just called the working class now a days. Keep keeping us separated.
It was the black man that sold the black man to the white man to begin with. yes the euros exploited and capitalized on the slave trade but do you really think the average 1600’s 5 foot tall dutch or Englishman is going to go into the jungle and bring back live slaves, highly doubtful. Still goes on to this day in Africa, genocide, slavery, general atrocities, ect, ect. so save the horse shit and argue a different point. youre just as racist as that pretend wanna be Irishman
and Eric, Treyvon and countless others have been murdered in cold blood but Mike Brown ….don’t think so sun, try again
wow its now racist to talk about the truth of Irish people. But its not racist to label all white people caucasian. Im not from Russia, Im not caucasian no matter what definition you try to put to it. No is discounting the horrible idea that was slavery, but to think that black people in america today are the only ones whose ancestors suffered slavery is ignorant of history.
Killian, this well written article is about our Irish heritage, possible yours also. And thank you Africa Resource for reprinting it. Originally printed in Afgen. It is much appreciated. We do have a right to read it, and respecfully comment on it.
“Tired Scottish/Irish American” was merely mirroring “A Tired Black Man’s” moniker. The post of the later was angry, and combative. Nobody should be surprised if it got a similar response.
Killian said “The white man needs to sit back and keep his dirty albino hands out of non-White business. ”
This IS our business. See the title of this article? I expect that many Irish, and other curious folks would find this site using a search engine as I have. We are learning about our history you are. Most of you folks are descendants of slaves. And so are many of us. We may even be related with some of the same early slaves as our family members, white, or black . Some of us whites may even have at least one black ancestor. So please be more welcoming to us while we are visiting, and doing research. Anger is stressful to you, and to others. And everybody should know that stress is a killer.
Peace to all here. And thank you for allowing me to post.
Don’t damn God. He created you. And yes, even the Irish dating back to 300A.D. had slaves.
Proly one of the most racist comments I’ve read in my life. We as an American people entice slavery and don’t even know it fr shoes to cloths most of our material that gets bought at the Mart are made by slaves and you buy it all. Y’all never picked cotton and I’ve never whipped an innocent man to do free labor. Y’all need to get over yourself fucking babies I’m am a 25 year old white male who grew up in a 2 bedroom home with my siblings and cousins Aunt and grandma. I was the only “White Boy” in a home of a mixed Hispanic/ jamakin individuals. So don’t you fucking dare try and say white ppl don’t know struggle because everyone hates and everyone gets stepped on in the end. Have u ever been called a nigger lover or whit nig I think not. So fuck you and your one sided racist ass. Racism works both ways you arrogant fuck.
You are tired, being enslaved for thousands of years will do that to you.
Their ( African/Americans) pain is still ongoing for a large percentage of them due to the type of thinking passed on through the ages, it’s called racism!
History will be much kinder to President Obama than you were.
Something wrong with the post here, it keeps going to Terence Mc Gann.
Spelling is important. It helps you look educated
You are simply wrong and here’s the evidence. https://www.academia.edu/9475964/The_Myth_of_Irish_Slaves_in_the_Colonies
The link above appears to be just an article someone decided to write with their view point, it doesn’t cite any historical evidence to back it up.
Read the book ” To Hell or Barbados” by Sean O’Callaghan. He cites historical documented evidence proving it infact happened.
Absolutely fallacious and misleading to try and cite an article from “academia.edu” to prove a point. That site is NOT a place to find scholarly articles but a social networking site (not my words; this is the actual description written of this site). The .edu domain name was claimed in 1999 BEFORE there were regulations on what websites could claim a .edu – which is generally thought of today as a site connected to a college or university where articles and such are actually peer-reviewed, or at least asknowledged by their hosting institution of higher education as truthful. This past summer even, academia.edu got an overhaul due to complaints about its content being overrun with people’s unchecked OPINIONS presented as scholarly articles. The article linked above was one of the ones removed. It is hypocrital of anyone who denounces ONLY the Europeans as slave owners to darker-skinned people (I say this because it was not just Africa – another thing people tend to forget when discussing slavery). MANY “white” people of even different religions were enslaved and to bring it in to the more modern era, it wasn’t ONLY Jewish people killed in the Holocaust. I don’t mean to belittle their suffering in ANY way but just be sure you are reading your history correctly. Blacks enslaved blacks long before whites ever did. Whites enslaved whites before they enslaved blacks. And clearly we have all forgotten about the entirety of Asia. Get some true perspective and NOT from misleading websites that hold no more “truth” than a blog comment, before you go around waving the popular opinion that all white people are the same and only white people engaged in slavery of black people. SMH.
Gus diZerega I did not read your evidence because it is still being written and you expect us to believe it??
Find something written from 50 years ago and I might believe you.
Hello Lilly White Man more whites or should said Irish gets more welfare , food stamp then Black People.
And so the disinformation continues.
A Chara, (friend),
I completely agree with you, it makes perfect sense, Americans who were ripped from their families and their homelands on behalf of the American ruling class, clearly have entitlement to sufficient compensation to level the playing field for them.
In addition, the unpaid work of their ancestors has built up America and its economy, and that debt is still due to those whose families were enslaved.
I agree with you, my full reply is under Terence Mc Gann.
A Tired Black man, I agree with you, of course the government should pay, they owe you for two centuries of unpaid work, and for the harm their slave trade has caused you.
How should the government pay? With money? How about a good “black” education, one that “teaches” about real black history, about the creators of algebra, calculus, physics, geometry, geology, philosophy, real history (including all vantage points), political science, real european history first black, to mixed, and inclusive of white histories and the true denizens, mixed as they are, starting from over forty thousand years ago to the first time that gene, SLC24A5 or pink skin gene appeared about 12,000 years ago congruent with the Ice Age. By the way “race” only refers to all of humanity, there is no such thing as a black, white, yellow, or brown race. By definition, different “races” such as sheep, dogs, cats cannot produce offspring from the other animal races mentioned.
Keep track of your hours worked as a slave and send Obama the bill. See what you get.
Irish people suffered as much as black slaves did it horrible what we were put through back then by the British and no one really knows about it its mot in the history books there no books or films about it everyone is educated on black slavery there are books films everything but not one mention of all those Irish people that were used as slaves everyone just forgot about all them people black slavery was very sad and horrific but Irish slavery was just as bad
That’s because Edomites/white men are the devil. They have no passion,regret, nor respect for nobody but themselves! For someone to say forget your history and get over it while their ppl benefit from slavery of the blacks slaves to this day, it just inhumane and evil! I can’t wait until god out these devils to death and make then my slave. God said, Whoever leads into captivity becomes captive.
Duke, I am white. I do not know you and have never met you. I do not own any slaves. My family does not own any slaves. From the looks of my genealogy research, I am actually a descendant of one of the subjects of this article. Could you explain to me please what it is that I personally have ever done to you to deserve to be called a devil? What have I personally done to you that makes me worthy to be your slave? I do not know you. You do not know me.
You fall to the stereotypical behaviour that all whites are accused of. I have never told you to get over anything, nor have I ever said that you have an easy life. The thing is? I have no control over having white skin. I am what I am because I was born this way. Why not take it up with God? He made us after all.
The Japanese received $20,000 each because there were still victims that were still alive (mostly Japanese children and infants.)
“The House, with Rep. Norman Y. Mineta (D-San Jose) emotionally recalling his own experiences in a camp for Japanese-American internees during World War II, today gave final congressional approval to a bill expressing a national apology and providing a $20,000 tax-free payment to every surviving internee.”
You were never a slave. Nor do you know anybody that was a slave. And 80% of Black Americans came to this country AFTER slavery. Stop whining.
Your stats is completely wrong and reflective of either an ignorant person or a mischievous liar.
Virtually all African Americans are descended from slaves, either enslaved natives or were brought in from all over the world. The name African-American is a convenient shorthand often times incorrect.
Not even close. I could guarantee you most Blacks in America are not descendants of slaves.
I believe you are wrong about white woman being the majority on welfare. It is the Hispanics nationwide who are and always have been the majority on welfare.
Get your facts straight.
I never knew welfare existed until I met Puerto Ricans! Also, most white women on welfare are retirees.
No 80% of Africans did not come to America after slavery. The Africans that were slaved and brought to America was only around 300 thousand . Brazil and England received Millions of African slaves.
Its already been proven as fact. Whites/ women receive the Majority of welfare. It doesn’t mean anything more than what it states
USA is a welfare nation that enriched them self by invading and bombing other nations to steal.. that is what they did in Puerto Rico. Learn true history dear.
Tired black man, when did the brits give the irish control of the police? Was it after the gangs of new York broke and they were looking for a new career, maybe your thinking of the Irish in America who the americans hired to do their policing. Anyway this article does not say that the Irish suffered more than the black slaves it says at that time in history they got the same treatment. The problem with you is you sound like an inverted racist you just hate all white people.
Wrong, 40 acres and $2000 ($20,000 in today’s money) for every slave was the reperation given then. Too much is not being taught in school and this has to change.
No one received these reparations.
Stop it ! That is not true and is a absolute lie
jews have been persecuted for thousands of years starting in Egypt which is part of Africa by the way , and the Irish were being persecuted by the English going back to King Edward and his (Lords Rights), the Blacks have been persecuted a lot longer then 400 years as well but the difference is they were persecuted and enslaved by themselves in Africa, I’m against slavery no matter the race but I’m also against the feeling of self entitlement that the African American population has everybody’s ancestors had it rough one time or another that doesn’t mean you deserve anything.
The Blacks persecuted and enslaved themselves according to your sorry ass? In the same vien did the pinks persecute and enslave themselves when England was persecuting Ireland! Fool, do you figure that “the Blacks” have no ethnicity like you have in Europe? People need more schooling these days.
Jahdey…. The Irish people were stolen from their country to be slaves….The African slaves were sold into slavery by the African government. – You have some reading to do.
Smart ass says: ” The Irish people were stolen from their country to be slaves”
Jahdey responds: Really? Stolen by who, smart ass?
By the holy spirit?
You do need to take your own advice…
“The African slaves were sold into slavery by the African government…”
Please, please , by the grace of God, tell me that you are trolling. I didn’t think it was possible to be so obtuse. Let me make this short. There was NO concept of a unified “AFRICA” prior to European colonization. Let me repeat. NO CONCEPT. of. a. UNIFIED AFRICA. PRIOR. TO. EUROPEAN COLONIZATION. “Africa” , as we know it today, consisted of many kingdoms prior to civilization. We weren’t enslaving “our own” based on the fact that “Africans” ( again a label that Europeans imposed on the natives) self identified with their tribal nations. A Mandinka, for example, didn’t see enslaving Igbo as “enslaving their own”.
typo: … many kingdoms prior to colonization
That seems to be a white persons go to argument. Yes everyone has suffered in some way throughout history but we aren’t talking about the rest of the word we are talking about America. That’s like saying America should get over 9/11 because terrorism has been going on for years.
The jews weren’t slaves in Egypt. That’s just another lie of the buybull. Archeological evidence comtradictsnthe claim. They just love playing the professional victim, while being the folks who profited from all of the slave trade.
Read your KJ Bible and learn that all three sons of Noah were dark; satan’s seed came in through Esau(pale)ie., ruddy-blood in the face)to rule with the sword, and ultimately play a part in chastisement of the scattered black(shemites); I also notice Whites neversay Whites enslaved Whites……they drop the color and refer to the ethnicity of the enslaver
Yeah… I don’t think smart people looking for facts are going to be reading the bible anytime soon buddy.
Now Jews are persecuting Palestinian and Blacks look like Germans did them
What Jews are you talking about? Because the only Jews I know of are black. You certainly couldn’t be referring to those Edomites and children of Yahphet who are “occupying the tents of the true Hebrews today” are you?
The same people who say that Christ is a liar and son of a whore who’s neck deep buried in shit in their Babylonian Talmud? Go ahead and say yes, I beg you.
Romani gypsies knows how this feels. Do you not realize that others outside of your own race do in fact suffer too?
As an Irish, who is studying my family history, and looking for lost family members who were taken, and knowing what I’ve been told about what my family went through. NO NO NO, not a single hand out was given to the Irish. Life was hard on them. Do you know that Irish weren’t considered white until the very late 1960’s? They had a separate box to be checked whenever asking for race. What has helped Irish fare better, and this is where you are correct, is their skin color, at least for most Irish. The Irish with darker skin haven’t fared as well. There was genocide in Ireland for the slaves and those who weren’t able to escape. In the last couple of decades it is finally being discussed, but not here in America, that 1.5 million Irish Catholics were starved to death and buried in mass graves. Even today Irish Catholics are being treated like Black Americans are in America via the police, the government and when traveling through British countries. However, you are very correct with the fact that once the Irish are able to lose the accent later in the 20th century that they were able to assimilate much easier into the American culture. What this article brings up, and I think everyone should note is that as the south is picked on right now, this whole country is guilty and can’t take a high road when it comes to the wrongs. The US and via the goods we consume each day is brought to us via slave labor in sweat shops around the world. Exploiting people for the evil greed of Wall Street; and we all have a part to play in this. Just because its out of sight and out of mind doesn’t mean it isn’t happening today. The million plus that are sex slave labor that are currently transported through the US each year, that none of us is fighting for… NONE of us, including you and me, don’t have a high road to take in this. We need to work together, not separately if things are going to change. That goes for all Americans. If people aren’t willing to do this no matter who they are and what the race, then they are part of the problem.
You hit the nail on the head with that one. Every white person who doesn’t want to feel guilty about slavery and racism always brings up the Irish. Where, like you said, they were white and were treated better than blacks. Also, when slavery was abolished did the black people get the proper treatment that they deserved? No, they were set free to their own devices. While every other race had a head start, black people were held back. They thought going to the North was the answer but even up there they were treated like 2nd class citizens. This country owes a lot to the African American community. For starters lets just give them the satisfaction that we fucked up.
Chaz – “they were white and were treated better than blacks” Wrong..wrong..wrong. Irish slaves were free…African slaves were purchased. Irish slaves were therefore considered much more expendable and treated worse than those purchased from the African government.
Why do black people group all white people together? Why do they automatically assume that because Im white i am some how privileged? You can’t call white people racist while you spout racist stereotypes. Learn about Barbados and the struggles that African and Irish people went through there, then talk to me about privilege. Who still has the privilege in America….Black people get special treatment at every turn, rich people in the upper class get special treatment….The working class white and black are both still slaves to this system.
My thoughts precisely!
WTF are you people talking about . Still to this day we have whites believing blacks are sub -human, animals, monkeys who are lazy dumb and unable to self liberate or think for ourselves. We just heard a Washington Official call Mr.s Obama a MONKEY. Have you heard of Eugenics or the Tuskegee Experiment? Did you know Bill Gates is sterilizing women of Africa as we Speak.Other than the Indians there has been no other ethnicity or heritage that has suffered Genocide, Slavery raping of women and resources like Africans . Laws change but laws don’t change whats in a persons heart…Wasn’t the Civil rights movement in the 60’s ? Equal rights for all right. Its only 2015 that on 50-55 years before then the U.s was segregated which is a derivate of Slavery ….PUBLIC HANGINGS on U.S SOIL. The Irish universally have never had that type of perception. You say well ” all races suffer”..no shit all people suffer and sin, thats not the topic . Every race and ethnicity has made great contributions to MANKIND no one is SUPERIOR to anyone. Its time we all act like it and make sure we spoon feed the youth to know it, digest it and understand it
Why do you group all Black People together. You cannot speak for me. ….And no we don’t think all whites are evil..Just some like you ….that runs your mouth assuming all Black people have hands out. America wants to looks at the small Percentage of our race that are committing. varies crime. Most of us are Educated Hard Working and Love our Family and Country like All other Americans. Why are some of you being so judge mental. ..Only God can judge.
And now that most of my family has passed away, I’m left searching for my “relatives.” That church is off limits to me, and land records indicate a transfer to an unknown party. My two brothers and I are all that’s left of our “family.” Who are we? Where do we belong? Who will love us or save us? And, why? throughout my relations with other people has it been assumed that I am part of the problem with black slavery (because I am white)? I’ve seen my family photos. I’ve been to family reunions in the past. It’s a sad end for someone with nowhere to belong.
The South is the only nation that the United States invaded , yet did not rebuild after the war. It took the South till 1948 just to get back on her feet. We, to this day are still dealing with reconstruction. The Yankee carpet baggers continue to rape and pillage our society. Now, all of our Confederate monuments are under attack. Anything Confederate must be wiped from history in the name of equality and social justice. Both communist terms.
There is plenty of misery to go around!
It is a fact that during the 17th century Irish slaves were treated worse than the African slaves. I have NEVER been to New York or ever received any compensation for my ancestors plight. In fact, very few Americans even evn know of the Irish Slave Trade.
Hmm. I have to say , that I was shocked to hear of the Irish being enslaved. I found this article after reading another artixle on the subject. What’s killing me about everyone’s comments here, is the fact that any of you would dare to compare history. It was all horrendous. It was all, unjust, and it was all very wrong. Unfortunately, slavery has been ariund for a lomg time. Not just whites enslaving blacks, but tbere was slavery witbin Agrican tribes as well as w
I am not surprised about Irish slavery, because my grandparents all came to escape English who took their land, food and enslaved them. I have a gut dislike of the English because of the stories I heard. My mother was passionate on the topic and it was not so long ago.
As I study more I realize that the gene to kill our own species is in our DNA. My guess is that humans will destroy this planet through our cruelty. Btw, I don’t get this race thing, as we are all the same species. My golden retriever and my German shepherd are not different races. They look different, but they are dogs. Humans look different but we are the same species. A pretty flawed species. God made a mistake and we are not in gods image.
Here, here!
This article was about Irish slavery…how did it become about Welfare and Black people (yes…I figured if you can call me White, I can call you Black). I personally think that everyone forgot what the point of this article (He who forgets the past is doomed to repeat it) and made it about personal grievances. Slavery…no mater what your color, is wrong and demoralizes the whole population and not just one group. Those being enslaved as well as those perpetrating the slavery lose their humanity in such demoralizing circumstances. Can we all just agree that it’s a well written article about something none of us know all the details about? I for one learned something from the article. However, I didn’t learn anything from the bickering that followed.
Mr 0bama is not decended from “from slaves, either enslaved natives”. One cannot just pick and choose which peoples enslaved, sold, tortured, and killed