A History of Britain 11.docx
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A History of Britain 11.docx
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AHistoryofBritain11
AHistoryofBritain11.TheWrongEmpire(1of27)
Iftherewasonething18th-centuryBritishgentlementhoughttheyknewmoreaboutthanportorracehorses,itwasliberty.
Theybaskedinit.
Itwasthereward,theytoldthemselves,fornearlyacenturyofcivilwars.
IthelpedmakeBritainthefreestcountryintheworld,safefromCatholictyranny,absolutemonarchsandstandingarmies.
Libertywastheirreligion.
Theybuilttemplesintheirgardensdevotedtoit.
Theyevenwroteitahymn.
Pitytherestoftheenslavedworld,deprivedofitsmanifoldblessings!
Buttherealpayoffoflibertyhadbeenrichesandpowerfromaroundtheglobe.
Withlibertyhadcometrade.
TradehadwroughtperhapsthemoststaggeringtransformationofpowerinallBritishhistory.
Frombeingatinyoutcropofinsignificantislandsoffthenorth-westcoastofEurope,Britainhadexpandedintoaglobalpower.
TheshadowofBritannianowfellacrossAmerica,theCaribbean,theIndianSubcontinent.
Ithadtakenbarelyacentury.
And,unliketheRomanEmpiretheysoadmired,theydreamtofaBritishEmpirethatwouldendure.
Onebasedontrade,notonconquest.
Itwouldbeanempireofliberty,theythought,Britainwritlarge,sharingitsbountywiththeworld.
So,howwasitthatinjustoveracentury,thepeoplethatthoughtofthemselvesasthefreestonearthendedupsubjugatingmuchoftheworld'spopulation?
Howwasitthatanationwhichhadsuchmistrustofmilitarypowerendedupthebiggestmilitarypowerofall?
HowwasitthattheempireoftheFreebecameoneofslaves?
Howwasitthatprofitseemedtoturnnotonfreedom,butonrawcoercion?
Howwasitthatweendedupwiththewrongempire?
AskanyBritishgentlemaninthemiddleofthe18thcenturytodrawyouamapoftheBritishempire,anditwouldhavelookedlikethis.
Totheeast,thereweretradingpostsinIndia,tinyenclavesthathadbeentherefor100years,shippinghomeprintedcottonsandsilks.
AcommercialenterpriserunbytheEastIndiaCompany,notthegovernment.
TherewouldbenocoloniesinAsia.
ButBritaincouldlookwestaswellaseast.
Andwestwasawholedifferentstory.
TothewestwasAmerica-BritainWest,infact.
TwomillionpeoplebetweentheAtlanticseaboardandtheAppalachianMountains.
TheycamefromYorktoNewYork,HampshiretoNewHampshire.
Andtheyallate,slept,breathedthesamemantra-libertyandBritishness.
Theyhadfirstarrivedintheearly17thcentury,seekingtheirfortuneorreligioustolerance.
Timeenoughtobuildfarms,communities,towns,citieseven.
Certainlytimeenoughtodealwiththetroublesomenatives-tomakeallianceswherepossible,and,ifnot,towipethemout,ordrivetheminland.
WithinthesettlementsandhousesoftheVirginiatobaccoplantersandMassachusettsmerchants,thesilverwarewasalittlesimpler,thefurniturenotquitesoHepplewhiteasbackhomeinEngland,butthatverysimplicityspoketotheirorigins,thequestforlibertyandthedriveforhonestself-improvement.
Butitwasrathersmallpotatoes,shallwesay,ifwhatyoureallywantedwasapalazzoinEngland,ratherthanapicketfenceinNewEngland.
Supposeyouwantedtomakeaseriousfortune?
Now,wherecouldthathappen?
Inthemid-17thcentury,theCaribbeanwaswhere.
NobodysettledintheWestIndiestoreadtheBibleunmolested.
ThiswasnotMassachusetts.
No,youbravedthefeversandswampsforonereasonalone-tomakeyourselfveryrichveryfast.
SeriousprofitswerealreadybeingrakedincateringtoEurope'saddictions-chocolate,coffeeand,inEnglandespecially,tea.
But,asamoneyspinner,nothingcomparedwiththestuffyouaddedtomakethemmorepalatable-sugar.
Onceseenasaluxuriousdrug,itwasnowanecessity,thecashcropoftheempire.
Barbadosprovidedtheperfecthabitattogrowthesugarcane-tropicalheatandsaturatingrains.
SotheBritishsettledintheWestIndies,transformingvirginforestintoapatchworkquiltofsugarplantations.
ButQueenSugarwasabitch,demandingabsoluteservicebeforeshe'dspillherbounty.
Shetook14monthstogetripe,alleightfeetofher.
Whenshewasready,shewasready.
Cutthecaneatonce,getittothecrushersbeforeitspoiled.
Boilthejuicebeforeitdegraded.
Allverymessyandverydangerous.
Bythesideofthecrushingmillshungasharpenedmachete,readytoseverthelimbsofanyonewhogotcaughtintherollers.
Whatsheneededwasacombinationofstrengthandlightningspeed.
Whatsheneededwerehumanbeastsofburden,strong,quick,durableanduncomplaining.
Onecommoditywouldbereapedbyanother.
Byslaves.
Sittinginaplantationhouse,nexttomillsturningsugarintoliquidgold,whatdidyoucareifyouhadtogotoWestAfricatobuytheslavesandshipthembackacrosstheAtlantic?
Oh,yes,thelogisticsweredifficult.
Nothingthegreatestseafaringnationintheworldcouldn'thandle.
TheBritishweregoodatcommodities.
Acoupleofthousandpoundsboughtyou200acresofBarbadiancanefields,amillanda100-oddslaves.
Withinafewyears,itreturnedanequalamounteveryyearfortherestofyourlife.
YouwerenowamongtherichestmenanywhereintheBritishEmpire.
TheslaveeconomyintheCaribbeanwasn'tjustaside-showofempire,itwastheEmpire.
3.5millionslavesweretransportedinBritishshipsalone.
TheywenttoBritishplantations,tomakeBritishprofitsandbuildBritishcities...
Bristol,LiverpoolandGlasgow,wherethecultoflibertywasstilloneveryone'slipsinsmartcoffeehouses.
ApartfromtheoccasionalvisitingQuakerandexiledPuritan,therewasadeafeningsilenceinthelandoflibertyaboutturningfellowmenintoworkanimals.
Thescaleofprofitssealedtheconspiracyofsilence.
Well,here'salittlethingofdevilishprettiness.
It'ssilver.
Itmightbejewellery.
Ahatpinorsomethinglikethat.
Butit'snot.
Thisisanobjectwhichmarkedthepassageofahumanbeingtoathing.
It'sabrandingiron.
Oncetheinitialswereburntintoyourflesh,youwerenolongeraperson.
Youwereanobject,acommodity.
Youwereabeastofburden.
YourjourneyintohellstartedmonthsearlierinAfrica.
It'sdescribedinoneofthefewsurvivingaccountsbyOlaudahEquiano,oneofthemillionstoexperiencethenightmare.
Capturedasasmallboy,hewasseparatedfromhissister...
thendraggedtothecoastandawaitingslaveship.
WhenIlookedaroundtheshipandsawamultitudeofblackpeopleofeverydescription,chained,everyoneoftheircountenancesexpressingdejectionandsorrow,Inolongerdoubtedofmyfate.
Quiteoverpoweredwithhorrorandanguish,Ifellmotionlessonthedeck.
Tomaketheventureprofitable,theslaveswerestackedintwolayersinthehold,withonlyabouttwofeetbetweentheplanksbelowandabovethem.
Theairsoonbecameunfitforrespiration,fromavarietyofloathsomesmells,andbroughtonasicknessamongtheslavesofwhichmanydied.
Thisdeplorablesituationwasagainaggravatedbythegallingofthechainsandthefilthofthenecessarytubsinwhichthechildrenoftenfellandwerealmostsuffocated.
Theshrieksofthewomenandthegroansofthedyingrendereditasceneofhorroralmostinconceivable.
You'reaship'ssurgeon.
It'syourjobtogointotheholdofamorningandexaminethecargo.
Whatdoyoufind?
Forastart,youfindalotofdeadslaves,someofthemmanacledtogether,livinganddead,chainedasonepair.
Whatdoyoudothen?
Youtakethepairondeck,strapthemtothegrating,sortoutthelivingfromthedead,throwthedeadoverboard.
Therearethesharks,alwaysthesharks,waiting,grateful.
Ifyouwereoneofthosewhomadeittolandalive,yourtroubleshadjustbegun.
Nakedbutforaloincloth,youwereonceagainparadedandpokedat,yourteethinspectedlikehorses.
Violence,thethreatorapplicationofit,ranthesystem.
Womenweretheobjectsofparticularterror.
Inoneyear,aJamaicanoverseerofaplantation,aptlycalledEgypt,gave21floggingstowomen,eachnolessthanfiftylashes.
Equianosaysitwascommonattheendofthebeatingtohavethevictimskneelandthanktheirmastersforthetreatment.
Thesameoverseeralsorecorded,withthesamematteroffactmanner,thathe'dhadsexwith23slavewomenthatyear,notincludinghisregularmistress.
OnlySundaysofferedsomemomentsofjoy.
ThemarketandmusicletslavesrecreatesomesenseofcommunityandtheAfricatheyhadleftbehind.
Atnotimewastheremorejoyousmusicthanatafuneral,becausedeath,atlast,wasliberty.
Deathwasthereturnhome.
(BASSVOCALIST)Deepriver...
Itwasveryimportantforsuchamomentousjourneytohavesomethinglikethis,African,thoughmadeinBarbados.
Jordan...
Anecklaceofteeth,shellsandbones,discardedtrinkets,copperandbronzerings.
Iwanttocrossoverittocampground...
So,apeoplewholegallyhadnopossessionsatallreservedwhatthey'dhiddenawayforthislastimportantjourney,sotheirspiritscouldreturntoAfricawithdignity.
IwanttocrossoverittocampgroundFortheBritish,itwastheperfectset-up.
Theirshipsdominatedtheoceans,theirslavesbroughtthemprofit,theworldwastheiroyster.
Butsomeoneelsewaseagertopriseitopen-theFrench.
They'dfoughtforcenturiesandtheywouldfightagain.
TheHundredYears'WaroftheMiddleAgeswouldbecometheSevenYears'Warofthe18thcentury.
Agincourt,fought,notonamuddyfield,butinbattlesaroundtheglobe.
ItturnedoutthatthecombotheBritishmostdespised-Jesuits,professionalsoldiersandbureaucrats-werestealingtheempirebeforetheirveryeyes,startingwithcontinentalAmerica.
Singingpatrioti
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