The Irish Slaves: Slavery, Indentured Servitude and Contract labor among Irish immigrants

Did you know that there were Irish slaves even before African slavery became widespread? It's true! I wrote The Irish Slaves to acquaint more readers with this little-known history. Watch the video to learn more.

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Education

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• Rhetta Akamatsu

[starmac]

It's amazing how many people don't. I minored in history in college, and I didn't know it until years later.

[starmac]

Yes, @chartrule, I talk about the difference in the price of Irish slaves and African slaves in the book. It is the reason that the Irish slaves were treated worse than the African slaves on the sugar plantations, especially. It was not a matter of morals but of economics.

[starmac]

People from all over the world were taken as slaves by other people...French, Scots, Dutch, English, African, Native Americans..anyone who did not have power was at the mercy at people who did. That is the truth of history. We only hear a part of it. I just wanted to expand the part we knew about with The Irish Slaves.

[starmac]

You can read it in the book.:)

[starmac]

Almost everything commented on here is covered in the book (Except modern politics.) Thanks for all the comments and views! If you've read the book, let me know what you think!

[shifragri]

OMG I had no idea Irish people were endured the same horrors as my African ancestors.

[climber400]

@starmac history is written and rewritten by the "victors"

[ronan32]

@shifragri

of course you didnt because you were too consumed by what happened to your own ancestors

[bigshirtblue]

@shifragri but somehow they assimulated and today the irish call us the n-word..

[asyouweresir]

ya cant keep good men down.......TIR NA SAOR!!!!!!!slainte  peace from luton via leatrim

[StSimonMartyr]

More Irish sold as slaves to the US colonies & plantations from 1651 to 1660 than the total existing free population of the Americas!

1641-1652, 550,000 Irish were killed by the English & 300,000 were sold as Slaves, Irish population of Ireland fell from 1,466,000 to 616,000.

1649 Cromwell landed in Ireland,slaughtering 30,000 Irish. 25,000 were sold to planters in St. Kitt

100,000 Irish children, 10-14 years old, taken from parents & sold as slaves in the West Indies, Va & N. England.

[StSimonMartyr]

Not altogether true.

Slavery was Banned by Papal decree in the 1400s in Europe

The word Slave comes from SLAV-White Euro Christians traded by Muslims and Jews.

But no one was more enslaved thatn the Irish. Half the populace was sold into Slavery in the 1600s.

Most of Europe lived rather well, economies were sound based on real money-Europe flourished with no slavery.

Slavery was profitable and Jews took on the trade and monopolized it-from Africa to England and South America.

[vondell86]

Very insightful video we live in a post racial society so teacher wouldn't wanna cover black slaver and Irish slaver so they figure let's just teach about Negroes,their where more black slaves then Irish slaves anyway...

[1robinsong]

Thank you for this video.