How the myth of the irish slaves became a favorite meme. Mar 18, 2018 records state that, after the 1798 irish rebellion, thousands of irish slaves were sold to both america and australia. See more ideas about irish, american history and history. The irish slave trade the forgotten white slaves rasta. Apr 19, 2016 in short, the irish slaves myth argues that the first slaves brought to the americas were irish, that they were white, and that this fact, covered up by liberal historians, undermines the legacy of the african slave trade and proves that modern theories of racial inferiority are true. It rests on the idea that 17th century american indentured servitude was essentially an extension of the transatlantic slave trade. Conspiracy theorist and holocaust denier michael a. The fact is that slavery was defined at its basest level by racial division, and there were never any irish slaves in america. See more ideas about history, irish and interesting history. Still others remained in the west indies, which still contain an population of black irish, many the descendents of the children of black slaves and irish slaves. In 1841, 60,000 irish in ireland issued an address to their compatriots in america, calling upon them to join with the abolitionists in the struggle against slavery. In 1688, the first woman killed in cotton mathers witch trials in massachusetts was an old irish woman named anne glover, who had been captured and sold as a slave in 1650. The forgotten history of britains white slaves in america by don jordan and michael walsh. I have about 3 lines of my family in which this happened.
The forgotten history of britains white slaves amazon. The king james i proclamation of 1625 required irish political prisoners be sent overseas and sold to english settlers in the west indies. The forgotten history of britains white slaves in america by don jordan and michael walsh was released, which described the poor treatment of irish indentured servants in the north american colonies. Irish emigrants to american south welcomed slavery says new book. No, the irish were not slaves too pacific standard. For 170 years, 1606 1776, england meted out this new lucrative reality by ridding itself and neighboring countries of its drunkards, dregs, vagabonds, criminals, and urchins. This book tells how in the 1600 and 1700s the english made slaves of the irish and shipped them in coffin ships to the islands and the new american colony. Irish slaves what the history books will never tell you. The first chattels slaves in colonial america were white europeans. The misguided focus on 1619 as the beginning of slavery in.
Why the irish were both slaves and indentured servants in. By the mid 1600s, the irish were the main slaves sold to antigua and montserrat. Mar 16, 2018 despite efforts to debunk the falsehood, the notion of irish slaves continues to circulate online, clouding discussions about racism and further complicating relations between irish americans. The irish slave trade began when james ii sold 30,000 irish prisoners as slaves to the new world.
Although there is sometimes present day acknowledgement of enslavement of the irish, massive enslavement of englishespecially poor childrenwas an early foundation of the american colonies. Brocca, another slave of the irish, was the father of saint brigit. Proclamation 1625, americas enslavement of the irish. Black lives matter and the irish slave myth black history. Feb 18, 2002 the book is testimony of an irish slave woman, telling an official, while he writes it down, of how the irish and african came to revolt against their owners. Records state that, after the 1798 irish rebellion, thousands of irish slaves were sold to both america and australia.
Oct 02, 2015 the irish slave trade began when the english king james ii sold 30,000 irish prisoners as slaves to the new world. Irish slaves untold story in american history readmaryann. The forgotten history of britains white slaves in america 9780814742969. All of the new world, english, french, spanish, etc. A woman slave cumal was often used as a unit of value in financial transactions, e. Like impoverished people of other nationalities, many emigrated. They were white and they were slaves is a thoroughly researched challenge to the conventional historiography of colonial and industrial labor, a stunning journey into a hidden epoch, the slave trade of whites, hundreds of thousands of whom were kidnapped, chained, whipped and worked to death in the american colonies and during the industrial revolution.
Names like ohara and oconnor were recorded in 1837 during the compensation hearings when slaves were freed and their owners remunerated. At that time, 70% of the total population of montserrat were irish slaves. But in his book, the irish diaspora, andy bielenberg estimates that between 1630 and 1775, 165,000 irish migrated from ireland to the british colonies in the americas and the caribbean. Does this photograph show irish slaves in the united states.
The trade ended with american independence, but the british still tried to sell convicts in their former colonies, which prompted one of the most audacious plots in anglo american history. The irish slaves myth is a pseudohistory that falsely conflates the penal transportation and indentured servitude of irish people during the 17th and 18th centuries with the hereditary chattel slavery experience of africans. This is a saga of exploration and cruelty spanning 170 years that has been submerged under the overwhelming memory of black slavery. In early august 2019 another irish were the first slaves meme was created by michael john melton, a selfpublished author and lizard people conspiracy. The untold history of the enslavement of whites in early america, in which he argued that chattel slavery and indentured servitude were similar enough to both be called slavery, and. In america, the book connected the white slave narrative to an influential ethnic group of over 34 million people, many of whom had been raised on stories of irish rebellion against britain and. Sep 24, 2016 early in america s history, white irish slaves outnumbered black slaves and endured worse treatment at the hands of their masters. Irish indentured servants were irish people who became indentured servants in territories under the control of the british empire, such as the british west indies particularly barbados, jamaica and the leeward islands, british north america and later australia indentures agreed to provide up to seven years of labor in return for passage to the new world and food, housing, and shelter. According to written record, in at least one incident 2 slaves, men, women, and children, were dumped overboard to drown because ships supplies were running low. There were horrible abuses of both african and irish captives. And a purposeful lie in an age of viral content not only can race around the world in a day but. The occasion was immigrant heritage week celebrated yearly in new york city a great time to remember and honor our immigrant forebears. Forgotten white slaves irish, scots, poor englishmen ended up.
Some white nationalists, and others who want to minimize the effects of hereditary chattel slavery on africans and their descendants, have used this false equivalence to. Hoffman ii, for example, wrote a selfpublished book in 1993 entitled, they were white and they were slaves. She agrees to tell all, if she can tell it her way, in detail, from the beginning. This irish slave narrative is the latest in a long history of. The forgotten history of britains white slaves in america. These irish had been disenfranchised of the lands and prevented from holding paid employment or educating their children and of course. How the myth of the irish slaves became a favorite meme of.
Mar 17, 2017 yet the book helped popularize the idea that irish indentured servants had it just as bad, if not worse, than african slaves. Beginning in the early 1600s, poor emigrants from the british isles, a majority of whom were irish, came to the americas by buying their ship passage with indenturement contracts. Sep 22, 2018 the concept of irish slavery in america, as we discussed in a 2016 article, is a notion that conflates the indentured servitude andor inhumane working conditions experienced by many irish. One british ship even dumped 1,302 slaves into the atlantic ocean so that the crew would have plenty of food to eat. Proclamation 1625, americas enslavement of the irish home. A majority initially consisted of convicts from england and then a surge of irish catholics were spirited away to make room in ireland for the burgeoning british and scottish protestant populations. When thinking about slavery and slaves in america, most people conjure up images of plantations in the southern united states and the suffering of many africans. Please note that the irish slave myth is frequently spread online by white supremacist in an attempt to diminish the effect of chattel slavery on black americans in this. Your average cracker or hill billy is likely descended from white slaves in that early phase of massenslavement. The irish and scots irish did indeed own slaves in america and many of their emancipated slaves took their surname.
See more ideas about irish, history and american history. Kiss me, my slave owners were irish liam hogan medium. Allens the invention of the white race and more recently, don jordan and michael walshs white cargo. Testimony of an irish slave girl by kate mccafferty. Mar 17, 2017 in america, the book connected the white slave narrative to an influential ethnic group of over 34 million people, many of whom had been raised on stories of irish rebellion against britain and. Nov 01, 2016 thanks for watching and please visit red ice creations. Widespread memes used against africanamericans say america was built by irish slaves whose history has been covered up. In america, ocallaghans book connected the white slave narrative to an influential ethnic group of over 34 million people, many of whom had been raised on stories of irish rebellion against britain and tales of antiirish bias in america at the turn of the 20th century. Even among those not enslaved, many were treated nearly the same as indentured servants, or later as contract labor on the railroads, mines, and other. She concluded that these european slavocracies had a major impact on ireland. Dublin was a major slave market, especially after the vikings came and renovated the town into an efficient port. His proclamation of 1625 required irish political prisoners be sent overseas and sold to english settlers in the west indies.
What many americans dont know is that the irish preceded the africans as slaves in the early british colonies of america and the west indies. Mar 17, 2018 around 2012, i read nini rodgers groundbreaking book ireland, slavery and antislavery, which looked at ireland in the context of the black atlantic world and racial slavery in colonial america. White cargo does a deep historical dive into colonial american slavery, indentured servants, for his majestys plantations. Civil war, abraham lincoln, gone with the wind, or roots.
Nov, 20 records state that, after the 1798 irish rebellion, thousands of irish slaves were sold to both america and australia. Irish slavery in america and the british west indies during the early colonial period. White cargo is the forgotten story of the thousands of britons who lived and died in bondage in britain s american colonies. If the irish escaped from slavery to general inclusion and prosperity, the false and racist argument goes, then african americans can do likewise. There are records of irish slaves well into the 18th century. Of course, slavery is a much older phenomenon than what. The irish in america was created, in part, as a companion to the pbs documentary series of the same name that was first aired in january 1998.
In the 17th century, from 1600 until 1699, there were many more irish sold as slaves than africans. A prime example is the 1993 book they were white and they were slaves by holocaust denier michael hoffman, available as a pdf from aryan websites. Mar 17, 2015 the state of kentucky had the eighth most slaves in the u. Hoffmans exact trick was copied into a cavanagh family history blog post in 2003 titled irish slaves in the caribbean. When one thinks of slavery in america, the only thought that comes to mind is africans picking cotton in the fields of america. In fact, according to an article first published on the internet in 2008 and endlessly recirculated since, irish slaves were not only common in early america, they were more common than african. Journalist terry golways text provides a solid backbone to the book. Mar 30, 2017 there has been much controversy recently about whether the irish transported in bondage to america and the west indies during the cromwellian era and later were slaves in the truest sense of the word. The 20 books every irish american should read the new york. The irish slave trade the forgotten white slaves global. Thus, the high level of demand was sustained by a continuous flow of white slaves from england, ireland, and scotland from 1618 to 1775, who were imported to serve america s colonial masters. Mar 04, 2016 the myth of scottish slaves in the caribbean is a subset of a narrative more commonly associated with the irish in colonial america. How blacks have irish last names tribeca chronicles.
Questionable sources maintain that the plight of socalled irish slaves in early america was worse than that of african slaves. In fact according to a book by don jordan and michael walsh, called white cargo a book about the irish and scottish people, sent to the colonies against their. Sep 29, 20 a new book on the irish on the confederate side in the civil war claims that irish emigrants to the south saw slavery and owning slaves as their passport to wealth. Thousands of irish people were subjected to years of abuse and cruelty after being sold as slaves during the 17th and 18th centuries. That is the claim made by london based historians and authors don jordan and michael walsh. The irish slave trade began when 30,000 irish prisoners were sold as slaves to the new world. It must be added, however, that slavery was a looser system in those days, and servitude, whether to irishman, roman, norseman or norman, did not necessarily mean.
137 1386 733 1116 1096 325 227 625 1350 246 634 862 1088 700 275 1470 200 676 503 877 1112 1453 28 811 127 586 1010 718 1107 297 1143 1472