DOC Abolition!: The Struggle to Abolish Slavery in the British Colonies by Richard S. Reddie in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Britain's hidden historyBy CustomerThis is a well-written; informative introduction to Britain (and other European countries') crucial and central role in maintaining the slave trade. This is not a dry and detached academic read. The writing style is personal; direct and accessible. In it you will learn such things as the fact that HSBC bank was known as Leyland Bank previously; named for the slave trader Thomas Leyland who set it up with the specific purpose of depositing the spoils from the slave trade. You will learn that the origin of the word Jamaica derives from the word Xamayca which was an Arawak word (one of the two tribes that inhabited the islands before the arrival of the Europeans.) You will learn that the first British millionaire William Beckford became so due to fortunes made on the sugar plantations in Jamaica. You will learn that King Agaja of Dahomey (present day Benin) in the 1720s opposed the slave trade and petitioned Europe to stop (contrary to the notion that Africans sold their own people and idly stood by while slavery happened). Additionally; that there were many attacks by setting on fire of slave holding ships by the African population that caught wind of what was going on. You will learn that Liverpool's net proceeds from the African slave trade between 1783-93 was over £12 million. In addition; Lancashire exported textiles which became clothes for enslaved Africans. British iron was made into chains; manacles and collars used for the slave trade. And in Liverpool slave-ship building boosted employment. Basically the slave trade was massive business (and still is today). Mr. Reddie documents this wonderfully in this relevant; motivational and inspirational book. If you enjoyed this you might also enjoy Staying Power- Black People in Britain. It is slightly longer; thicker and more dry and "academic". However it is a lengthy account of the history of black people in Britain which pre-dates the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons; through the 20th century to the current situation we have today. No more turning a blind eye.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A well-researched and thorough history of the British slave tradeBy Helen HancoxRichard Reddie's book is a well-researched and broad in scope history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade which existed for 276 years. He explores the events leading up to the slave trade; painting a picture of a cultured and learned Africa which became a point in the triangular trade route - from Europe firearms; alcohol; brass; copper and manufactured goods were transported to Africa; slaves were taken in Africa and transported by the `Middle Passage' to the West Indies and America; then sugar; tobacco; rum and molasses from America were transported to Europe. Research suggests up to 15 million enslaved Africans died because of this trade and their treatment by the Europeans makes very sobering reading - especially as Christians weren't only those trying to abolish the trade but were often those who participated and benefited from it.William Wilberforce and the other abolitionists; such as John Newton; Thomas Clarkson and the freed slave Olaudah Equiano are shown as people who worked tirelessly against the slave trade but also as people who were fallible and whose 19th century view of Africans unable to determine their own lives feels rather uncomfortable to us today. The book is an informative and yet sobering read about an alternative holocaust; one in which many Christians colluded and whose revenues founded some of our largest institutions. It makes for uncomfortable reading but it is an aspect of our history which must not be ignored.