Scotland and the Slave Trade
We take a brief look at the part played by many Scots who became wealthy due to their close involvement with slave labour.
It has always been a ‘bone of contention’ in my mind just why ~ in my generation ~ the Scottish education system seemed to teach so little about the real history of my country. During the 1930s the subject of History focused heavily on broader aspects of the then British Empire, as depicted by all the ‘pink’ areas of a world atlas ~ but even here it seems that certain subjects, were, to say the least, never highlighted to any great extent.
Britain’s involvement with the African slave trade seemed forever a subject carefully edited for public consumption. As a child, I honestly believed that Brits were God’s own disciples, going forth to spread enlightenment among the less fortunate of our earthly brethren. The possibility that so many of the same brethren were being cruelly exploited never entered my mind.
In later life, it came as something of a shock to learn that many Scottish plantation owners became rich on the backs of unfortunate black African slaves, particularly in the Caribbean area.
It is estimated that 20,000,000 Africans were bought or captured in Africa and transported to the Americas. The Scottish-Caribbean link is centuries old, but from the beginning of the 18th century it expanded rapidly, until Britain eventually controlled the West-Indies ~ and Scottish slave owners played a prominent part in what was described as Chattel Slavery.
To read the full article (orginally published in MacFarlane’s Lantern No. 112, December 2009) please click on the following link:
