gzregorz wrote:Thanks Steve, I will look into it. They mentioned it in the series.
I also know "some" use it to change the subject away from African slavery which is another reason to learn the history to understand the truth instead of the rhetoric.
Well, yeah, some people argue that Black Americans shouldn't complain about slavery because 1) White people were also enslaved --meaning the Irish; 2) Africans sold Africans; and 3) Black Americans also owned slaves. The claims are all "true," but don't support the conclusion given, but lead to stranger ones.
For ex., assuming all the claims are true, we can also say that. 1) White people enslaved White people in America, but where are the stories of White slaves? Were they freed with the Emancipation Proclamation? Do they celebrate their liberation? Where are the descendants of White slaves now?
2) Europeans also sold Europeans for quite a bit longer than the African slave trade. The word "slave" comes from the "Slavs" who were among the most popular slaves in Europe. Well, even before that, the Angles were enslaved by the Romans. That's before the Danes and Saxons fucked over them. We've all seen Vikings, I'm sure.
3) Black Americans did own slaves; shucks, they had to buy their own freedom, and they often bought their own children. That's my family's story btw. Five generations back, my g-g-g-g-grandfather was a blacksmith. He was able to save up, buy his children, and they were lucky enough to go to school. The point of the anecdote is that when we have family reunions, there's a cake in the shape of a horseshoe. Iow, we remember. So, those White people who were owned by Black plantation owners should remember, too.
However, the Irish do remember the "blight" and the "coffin ships" and being forcibly removed and having to pay for a trip to the US. I would argue that the Irish were treated worse than Africans because Africans were more expensive and harder to replace.
So, why don't we read about this in our history books? Of course, that comes from people who probably haven't read many history books. Why don't they teach it in school? Well, when they Irish were treated like slaves, the excuse was that they were a lower race than the English. (Look up Milesian). The Irish weren't considered White in the US until around the Civil War. Here's something interesting from the Irish Times
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/allu ... e-1.211843 Anyway, why should we tell the Irish story? Why have an Irish American heritage month? Isn't it all American history? Yep, that's the point. We don't have to know the story of the Chinese in the west, but it's American history. Should we teach about the Trail of Tears or Indian Removals? How about the Polish who were in Virginia in the 17th century?
Sure, people can ask why they need to know about someone else. But, it's a sin if someone doesn't want to know abuot himself. American history was made by the Americans who were here, not by the people who wrote the history books. It is better now than it was when I was coming up, though. Though, the fact that people think Columbus is part of US history more than Cortez is still funny.
"A man is rich when he has time and freewill. How he chooses to invest both will determine the return on his investment."