Tag Archives: the british empire

Britain’s Participation in the Transatlantic Slave Trade

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As those of you who follow this blog will know, I am from the city of Liverpool.

 

 

I have long had an interest in the history of Liverpool and am a regular visitor to the city’s museum’s, including the International Slavery Museum, https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/international-slavery-museum.

 

Liverpool played a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade and much of the city’s wealth was derived from slavery. For example, the beautiful Speke Hall was partly constructed as a consequence of money made from slavery, https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/speke-hall/speke-halls-colonial-connections.

 

It is sobering to walk around Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum and to learn of Britain’s role in the slave trade. However, Britain can be proud of the fact that it was one of the first countries to outlaw participation in the slave trade in 1807, and ban slavery in the British Empire in 1833.

 

History Reclaimed has a fascinating video on the Royal Navy’s role in trying to prevent other nations such as Spain and Portugal from continuing to engage in slavery, https://historyreclaimed.co.uk/the-royal-navys-campaign-against-the-slave-trade/.

 

Am I in favour of the UK paying compensation due to our participation in slavery? The answer is no. Slavery was (and remains abhorrent). People are not property and each individual is uniquely valuable in his or her own right. However, Britain’s participation in the Transatlantic slave trade ended in 1807 and in it’s empire in 1833. I am highly sceptical that countries with large populations originally derived from enslaved people can blame their countries ills on the actions of British people long since dead.

 

I am also sceptical as to how such compensation would work and the ethics underpinning any proposed scheme. Should the British person living on a deprived estate pay his taxes to the descendants of slaves some of whom will undoubtedly be far wealthier than he is? If the answer is yes, should black British people be compensated by their white friends and fellow citizens?

 

There is a strong moral argument for helping to alleviate poverty in the developing world, including in Britain’s former colonies. However, to tie such aid to slavery has the potential to raise racial and international tensions and would not, in my view be helpful in fostering good relations between communities.

 

We should also be wary of putting the sins of our ancestors on the generations living today. British people alive in the 21st century had no role in slavery and it is frankly wrong to expect them to pay compensation for wrongs perpetrated long before they where born.

Westminster Cathedral’s Chimes

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The passing chimes

Of Westminster Cathedral bring to mind

A former time

When belief in empire still burned strong.

Yet in his song

Rudyard Kipling foresaw

That the fire

Of the British Empire

Would burn no more.

 

Westminster Cathedral’s chimes

Will continue on

When I am gone

And Kipling’s great rhymes

Will be condemned

(As before)

By men

Who have never read

“Recessional”. and know not he foresaw

That the red

Of empire would show no more.

A Small Island in a Great Sea

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A small island in a great sea.

Once, half the world was painted red

And we engaged in slavery.

It is so often said

That the British Empire did no good.

Yet, (having abolished slavery), we patrolled seas

Stopping those who still engaged

In the cruel slave trade.

 

As I stood

In this remnant

Of the Great

North Wood

I thought on those who hate

This country.

 

 

Now our former colonies are free

To have their own mess

(Or progress.

And we

Have the cold sea

And what we

Call progress.

 

In the Ancient Wood I Stood

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In the ancient wood I stood
And saw many a fallen tree
Brought low by storm.
They spoke to me
Of how shadows grow
On an English lawn,
In summertime. And of Kipling’s rhyme.
For he foresaw how empires go.
Do the Chinese and Russians know
What Kipling told not long ago?

(Note: for anyone who has not done so, I recommend reading Kipling’s “Recessional”, in which he warns against the arrogance of imperialism, and foresees the loss of the British Empire).

Shadows of the Past

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My shadow in front of me.
Leaves fall from a nearby tree.
I think of an old England
I never knew.

Is all I understand
Or maybe half-see
The reality of me?

What is true
When the many/few
Call for Britain’s statues to fall,
And label me merely a reactionary?

Winston Churchill Maligned

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There have recently been a number of attempts to smear the reputation of Winston Churchill. These have ranged from daubing his statue with graffiti accusing Churchill of being a “racist”, to a recent conference at Churchill College. During the latter event Churchill was, again maligned and the British empire was said to have been worse than that of the Nazis.

For a more balanced perspective on Churchill I would recommend a publication by Policy Exchange which points out the many inaccuracies in the view of Churchill promulgated by the conference at the college which bares his name.

This link deals with the decision of Churchill College to end the one-sided discussions during which Churchill’s reputation was maligned, https://policyexchange.org.uk/churchill-college-has-made-a-wise-decision-in-closing-down-the-working-group-on-churchill-race-and-empire/, whilst the second contains a link to a more balanced assessment of his reputation https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/the-racial-consequences-of-mr-churchill-a-review/.

Empire

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The wind is getting up.
Should I put
Kipling aside
For his pride
In empire?

Should I apologise
And lower my eyes
For seeing empire
In all it’s complexity?

The Romans to Britain came.
Should Italians apologise
And lower their eyes
With shame?

You may say
“The Roman Empire
Was not all bad”.
But you would be mad
To put your head above the parapit
And admit
The same
Of Britain’s imperial past.

A certain class
Would look aghast
And cry “shame”
And label you
With a name
Untrue.

Mud sticks
And many men
Seal their lips.
Whilst a brave few
Say what they
Believe to be true.

Empire

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The British Empire is, to state the blatantly obvious, a topic of great historical importance, and a sensative subject capable of arousing strong emotions. The British Labour Party has announced, in it’s “Race and Faith Manifesto” that, if elected, it will investigate the impact of British colonialism:

“Labour will conduct an audit of
the impact of Britain’s colonial legacies
to understand our contribution to the
dynamics of violence and insecurity
across regions previously under British
colonial rule.
We will also:
· Create an Emancipation Educational
Trust to ensure the historical injustices
of colonialism, and the role of the
British Empire is properly integrated
into the National Curriculum, to teach
powerful Black history which is also
British history”, https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Race-and-Faith-Manifesto-2019.pdf.

As a historian, Labour’s “pledge” to carry out an audit of British colonialism causes me great concern. Whilst there where (undoubtedly) injustices committed by the British Empire, and its impossible to deny that many of those involved in colonial administration believed in the superiority of white (and, in particular British rule, which would, by today’s standards make them “racists), this is not the whole story. As pointed out by Jeremy Paxman in this article, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9085936/Jeremy-Paxman-Our-empire-was-an-amazing-thing.html, Britain played a leading role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, it stamped out the practice of widow burning in India, it built infrastructure in the form of roads and rail, and left a legacy of incorupt administration.

I am left wondering who will conduct this audit of British colonialism. Will it be a cross section of highly respected historians (of differing perspectives), or historians who are (from the outset of their investigations) convinced that the British Empire was a wholly bad thing with few (if any) redeeming features? From the wording of Labour’s Manifesto, I suspect that the latter will be the case, with left-wing (perhaps Marxist) historians carrying out “research” which will (when published) be hottly contested by other academics.

In education its vital that children learn about the British Empire, warts and all. If, however they only learn about the warts (with no acknowledgement of the positive role Britain played in the world), what they will be receiving will be indoctrination rather than education.

Racism is an evil (and also deeply stupid for there is no evidence whatsoever that the colour of one’s skin plays any role in determining intelligence). We share a common humanity and its right that the role of black people in this country’s history is acknowledged and celebrated. However I do not believe that what Labour is proposing is the right way to go about it.

As always I would be interested in the views of my readers.

Kevin

(From my archives) – “Kipling May Regret”

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This poem first appeared here on 9 April 2017:

In the restaurant its just the waiter and I,
While outside the window Vehicles speed by.
“There are a lot of beautiful women outside today”,
He remarks by way
Of conversation.
I drink
My wine and think
About this nation
On who’s empire the sun would never set.

Kipling may regret,
Yet
The sun continues to shine
And there is curry and wine,
While in the street
Multiracial feet
Hurry
Along,
Beating out a more or less harmonious song.