Thursday, January 24, 2008

No end to slavery: from Africans to Indians

The slave trade was officially abolished throughout the British Empire in 1807.
This plan (found here) of a slave ship developed by Clarkson and his co-workers shocked the public when it appeared in 1789. It shows how 482 slaves could be packed on board the Brookes of Liverpool for the 6 to 8 week voyage to the West Indies. The Brookes actually carried 609 slaves on one voyage.


On top of that, watch this very interesting video "Coolies: How Britain reinvented slavery" This documentary reveals one of Britain's darkest secrets: a form of slavery that continued well into the 20th century - the story of Indian indentured labour.
It describes how Indians replaced Africans when slavery was abolished in the British Empire.

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