SCOTLAND'S ROLE IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE'S SLAVE TRADE

The European slave trade and the British Empire are so closely linked that you can't discuss one without the other. Britain made a fortune from its Caribbean colonies through slave labour. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, British slave traders transported around 3.1 million enslaved Africans, who endured brutal conditions on plantations, producing cash crops like sugar, tobacco and coffee.

But one country that is often overlooked in this dark chapter is Scotland. According to the National Library of Scotland, 27 slave trade voyages set sail from Greenock, Port Glasgow, Leith, and Montrose between 1706 and 1766, transporting about 4,000 to 5,000 enslaved people across the ocean. For example, Alexander MacFarlane, an 18th-century astronomer and merchant, owned plantations and enslaved people.

During Black History Month in October, Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former first minister and now a Scottish Parliament member, called on his fellow lawmakers to ensure Scotland's true history is taught in schools.

We think it would be great to add a focus on reparatory justice to Yousaf's important message, helping to acknowledge and provide some restitution for the millions affected by the slave trade.

Video credit: @scottishparl (YouTube) @scotparl (X)Sources:https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/british-colonial-rule/the-toll-of-slavery-and-exploitation-under-british-colonial-rule-in-the-caribbean/

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/slavery-in-the-colonies

https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/legacy-slavery-caribbean-and-journey-towards-justice

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1150546/number-slaves-arrived-in-each-region-of-british-caribbean-from-africa/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/12/british-history-slavery-buried-scale-revealed

https://www.nls.uk/collections/scotland-and-the-slave-trade/involvement/#:~:text=Indeed%2C%20Scots%20were%20directly%20involved,infrastructure%20of%20the%20slave%20trade.