Britain's Dark History Of Racism & Brutality | The Mehdi Hasan Show

As the U.S. is torn apart between those who want to address the skeletons in our nation’s proverbial closet and those who want to keep them locked away, Britain is having a similar debate over its dark history of slavery and racial violence. A new book aims to set the record straight. Its author, Caroline Elkins, joins Mehdi to discuss, “Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire.”

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#MSNBC #Britain #Racism

[willjoful]

I didn't learn about slavery in America until I started college. One of my professors was talking about slavery in the United States. Then it came to me that my family was part of the slave story of America. I remember my father telling me as a young boy he had to drop out of school so he could help his mom to pick cotton. From a large farm located in a little town called Royston, GA.

[davidraper]

This is why it is important to teach history entirely, the good and the bad.

[bryanjackson]

What's often overlooked is that it was Great Britain that introduced and expanded slavery in the American colonies, and it was the British who continued to benefit rather handsomely from the TransAlantic slave trade, even after they lost the North American colonies.

Even today, many wealthy British families can trace their fortune back to their slave trading ancestors.

[Synathidy]

I attended public school in Alaska, and I learned about slavery and the atrocities of early colonialism by Europeans as early as seventh grade, maybe even a bit of exposure in elementary school.
Did I luck out in getting a good education in this nation? I was able to learn enough to know that Britain and America, among other nations, have histories built on blood and the oppression of the weak and vulnerable. That's probably the single biggest takeaway anyone should have after their history education. Anyone who can't admit that much is trying to re-write history.
White America only exists because early Europeans committed both deliberate and accidental genocide against Native Americans. It goes on and on.

[BuildinWings]

People forget America was England before it was America - The crown reinstituted slavery, not the colonists.

[senoalamsyah]

In Indonesia especially in Java area there are saying like this "5 year of British rule is more worst than 350 year of the Dutch" (translated to English)

[darex]

"Insert Country Here" Dark History Of Racism & Brutality. Britain is definitely one of the Greats in the game, right up there with the Chinese, Japanese, German's, Mongolians, American's, Spanish, Italians, Belgians, Egyptians, Saudi's, etc etc etc

[registeredmental]

Was England worse than the Islamic empires?

[traveldiary]

Very racist country, I live here . More than any other country, it feels like going somewhere for good .

[russellnewton]

I wrote a topic on British slavery and the slave trade in general, when I was 13 I’m now 61, so some of us are aware of our dark past.
I remember having a conversation with my father and uncle in the early 80, s about apartheid in South Africa saying it was wrong, they shrugged and made slight racist tropes.
Hopefully this generation, are not as far down the rabbit hole when it comes to the dark history of the former British Empire.

[stormhawk]

Medhi Hassan going to criticise the Islamic Ottoman Empire and how they treated African slaves under their rule as well?

[beverleyprice]

Overstated whataboutism! Not the history which was appalling but the idea we are in a comparable culture war to the US - we aren’t banning books and legislating against free speech to the same level - hope I don’t eat my words in the future!! But we also don’t refuse to acknowledge our past in the same way at least not in my community - “playing out in the streets?? Where? UK is she selling a book?

[lindaeasley]

Many people don't know that Britain played an active role in supporting the slave states during the US Civil War.
Britain's Queen Victoria took a neutral stance but prominent British figures actively helped the Confederacy by building them war ships, supplying ammunition, getting around the blockade of Confederate trade lanes imposed by the Union and accepting Confederate representatives on diplomatic missions in Britain.
A large number of their people were pro South and the country nearly got involved militarily on behalf of the slave holders
Even after the UK officially abolished slavery, they didn't mind it in other countries

[charnight]

Every country on the face of the planet has such a dark and shameful past. Yes, talk about it by all means, even pay to read about someone else talking about it if that floats your boat, but don't point a finger in any direction, four fingers will be pointing right back at you.

[mo]

Medhi proving once again how selective and racist he is. Brits helped end slave trade for the vast majority of countries and were the first empire to openly fight slave traders.

[AzTeCWaRRiOR]

The beginning of the slave trade
The slave trade began with Portuguese and Spanish traders capturing African people, and transporting them to the American colonies which they had conquered in the 15th century. Around 350, 000 Africans were taken as enslaved people to the Americas in this way during this period.

In the 16th century, English pirates started selling enslaved people to the Spanish colonies - Sir John Hawkins was the first English sea-captain to do this. Other nations looked to his example and soon joined in.

Treaty of Utrecht
In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht was signed. Spain gave British slave traders the contract, known as the Asiento, to trade 144, 000 enslaved people a year to Spanish South America. After 1700, the numbers of enslaved people being transported increased greatly.

[mleon]

From Africa, Scotland, Ireland, India, Southeast Asia, London, and the United States, England has had its hand in the brutality that shaped these countries, and cites.

[lemonaid]

It seems that we view slavery in the context of Hollywood depictions. I'd love to see an honest economic comparison between a 19th century slave and a contemporary minimum-wage worker.

[therickestpicklerick]

Not many views because no one wants to acknowledge it.

[joe]

You should do an honest documentary on misogyny in the Islamic world.