@@Brecconable Who returned it to the way it was before and drove the uneven teeth of the British, trying desperately to chomp at the shores off New Orleans and New York, until peace was signed?
UK legal system: Slavery banned. Slavers: We object! UK legal system: Dear Navy, I will not be looking for decade, can you please take care of this particular problem.
"The air of England has long been too pure for a slave, and every man is free who breathes it. " James Mansfield Mansfield was a noted British lawyer and jurist of the mid-18th to early 19th centuries. He was one of the lawyers representing the escaped slave James Somersett, of whom we heard in this presentation.
Its a good quote, and I like it. But I hate to be that guy who then brings it up, yet will do so. Insert comment here about the actual air quality at the time. Industrial revolution, coal power, all that.
You may be interested in the story of the only slave trader hanged for his crimes in the United States -- Hanging Captain Gordon - ruclips.net/video/pjZPGdOIS_Y/видео.html More need to know of this story --- there's also a well-written book by the same title.
As a white American, I recall history classes discussing the triangle trade and the continual strife between northern & southern states over slavery & states' rights, but I don't recall any discussion of British impact on the decline of the slave trade. Perhaps the curriculum didn't permit such extensive coverage? Either way, Britain's role in the demise of the trade is noteworthy, and I continue to be amazed at man's barbarism toward his fellow man throughput the annals of history.
@@77thTromboneYes, and I am also amazed at how huge, huge essential facts of history are deleted for the sake of political & ideological agendas of the Intelligentsia or Ruling Classes in regards to education in the US & UK. What else could it be? It isn't the interests of the majority people or culture, the ignoring of it is the exact opposite of that, and the exact opposite of the white supremacy hypothesis working today.
@@pebblepod30 Speaking as one whose grandparents owned a lawn jockey, and as one who painted said lawn jockey when he was a kid, and as on who finds the same lawn jockey to be a ridiculous, insulting caricature, and as one who wants to keep _and display_ same lawn jockey as a historical artifact (against the advice of my siblings,) and as one who can't answer for all cases, I think things are not nearly as coherently conspiratorial as you suspect. Certainly there was more coherency in [particularly black] racial suppression in the southeastern U.S. states, but I think a lot of it was more of what might be called "provincial myopia." I am not saying the past was right, but I am saying: if you gauge the totality of the past against modern educational, cultural, technological norms, you will be hard put to find a major culture anywhere in history that engenders zero complaints against a modern standard. Further, consider that modern society is a result of aspirational ideals that were forged in history and have been refined in countless iterations over the years.
@@cybrhunk333 I just followed your link and watched this. Posted in 2011 with only 670 views at the present time. It deserves very many more as it's fascinating.
The thing that is so sad is that today we completely ignore this achievement of British, a singular thing that has never been done before and since; a nation out of pure morality and against its interest doing something simply because it was right, regardless of costs. There is much that English should be proud of, but this is without a doubt the most amazing thing of all.
Not just the English, Marek. Many of the sailors in the RN were recruited from maritime areas, many of those were in Scotland, including a couple of my ancestors. On a related note, every race on Earth profited from slavery at some point, but only the British made a concerted and long term attempt to end it, something that the rest of the Western World eventually caught up with after the Brits had done most of the heavy lifting. That continues to the present day. While I was in the RN I took place in operations to deter and prosecute 'people smuggling', which is often pretty much indistinguishable from traditional slavery.
@@billyclement5141 yeah, using England meaning Britian annoys me as an Englishman, it was never England, it was never an English Empire, it was always British!!!!
@@tinman1843 As articulated by President Abraham Lincoln, the United States Union troops fought the War Between the States primarily to preserve the Union, though the moral impact of their fight was positive as well.
I've known about the Royal Navy's history of combatting the slave trade, but I am honestly surprised by the sheer gusto they conducted that campaign with. Same thing for the government of the time, I don't see any modern government giving their navy free reign to do anything today. So I learned a lot about a positive bit of RN history. Thank you for the excellent work as always.
It couldn't happen in an era of instant communications. The time and distance involved in getting word from a seized ship to that ship's government and then to London for protest meant that any incident was months old and beyond any form of immediate redress, effectively insulating the squadron from consequences. News - and orders - travels too fast nowadays for a commander to get away with anything like this amount of independent action.
The other fact to consider is how much it freed Britain. The economy was tied and dependent to the slave trade and the sugar trade, with that being repressed investment and talent went into the emerging industrial revolution. Think how much of an anchor the slave states were on the US economy.
I believe that much of the legislative made to combat transatlantic slavery is still in force in one way or another, so, should it ever become actuall again I can definitively see RN comming down with murderous intent on any and all slavers on the sea
As well as diplomatic pressure, that's how freedom for fellow humans was achieved. if you are a world power what better use is there of a superpower than to free the enslaved, the only world power in history to do so it's normally the opposite world powers enslaved. Now as a black person this knowledge should be thought in schools about how one little island fought a worldwide planet of black and white people, to free people.
Isn't beyond ME, it goes against the anti-white anti-British leftist narrative infesting virtually everything in our education system and mainstream media now- talking about this might show the British Empire actually did good positive things and wasn't wholly evil, we can't have that can we
Possibly it's ignored because to explore it would highlight the fact that it was the English who introduced African slavery to North America, and that, although Parliament had the power to eliminate slavery in their empire, they didn't do so until the 1830s. There is nothing praiseworthy about waiting 200 years to abolish slavery.
I'm not knocking the work of the west Africa squadron on the work the British did to end the triangle trade. However, it would be a bit odd if you guys made it a point of national pride considering you guys were responsible for the triangle trade in the first place.
I had savaged the British Empire recently on another Drach video for inventing the modern concentration camp in their war against the Boers. I’m glad to know this history as well. As an American we have our own genocidal atrocities against our ‘First Peoples’ of course. Empires can only be carved out by violent force, no matter the time or continent.
On a historic note, I read an accounting of the "last slave ship" the Wanderer and her devious exploits up until 1858. She was never caught, so fast a ship she was. And, one of her "sister" ships, a slaver called the Martha was captured by U.S. frigates, it was considered a prize catch. The Wanderer, the Martha, and one other slaver, whose name escapes me, were considered to be the prizes the anti-slavery squadrons all wanted. The Brits sent congratulations to the U.S. frigate, captain and crew, for snagging the Martha, but at the same time issued "orders" or perhaps "strong encouragement" to all her captains to please don't let the Americans have the honor of catching the Wanderer or the other elusive slaver.
That's what I get from trying to rely on a failing memory...a few notes. The Martha (Martha Kane) was captured by the USS Perry, a brig. I believe frigates were too slow to be of much use tracking down, catching, fast slaver ships. And in was in 1850. The third ship I was trying to remember was the Clotilda. In 1844 the USS Truxton, a brig, captured the slaver the Spitfire. Kind of ironic of a name given the discussion of the Brits' leadership in stopping the Atlantic slave trade.
An unsung hero of the anti-slavery movement is Admiral Sir SidneySmith RN. Smith is best known for being the first military commander to resoundly defeat Napoleon; at the Siege of Acre in 1799. After the war, Smith attended the 1814 Congress of Vienna for the expressed purpose of stopping the practice of slavery, specifically white slavery. His efforts produced results including the bombardment of Algiers in 1816 by the Royal Navy.
Lindybeige has one magnificent video on Sir Sidney Smith's shenanigans, why and more importantly how he pissed off Napoleon so much. Video's name is Napoleon's greatest foe.
@@HootOwl513 Amputated people were common in these days, but more by accidents than by action or died by illness. I give you an example. During the 7-years-war, around 1.500 RN-members died in action, more than 100.000 by accidents and illness.
It's understandable why you had to give the disclaimer at the start. It's sad that even today the wounds of slavery all those hundreds of years ago are still constantly being opened over and over again, but again you prove what a class act you are, Drach. Thank you for this :)
As a currently serving member of our illustrious RN, I was aware that we were involved in stopping the slave trade, but not to the extent that we did. I believe more needs to be said publicly about this sort of thing, as opposed to the hand wringing we usually get. I know that this is the sort of history that needs to not only be taught in schools, but should also have been taught during our initial training. I know that we didn't get taught about our own heritage during basic. 16 yrs served and still learning :)
@Star Trek Theory Its better to let any sort of pre garnered hatred or stereo type fade buddy. You can believe what you wish too. Forming an opinion upon what name they call god is neither important or relevant. Please If you have a important or ground shaking revelation to add then do so. If not then please remain civil and do not bring this crap to the table, thank you.
Having just spent a while down the pub explaining the lengths we went to stamp out the slave trade when literally every other civilisation in human history was deeply involved in it, to disbelieving fools, I wholeheartedly agree. I even told them that their taxes only stopped paying for it in 2015 and they didn't believe me. :p Self hatred is unfortunately a British trait. George Orwell noticed it too.
The RN was still acting like privateers at this point. They preferred to enslave American sailors at this point in time. Plus their shit weather negates the need for slaves on the home front so they just colonized countries and basically enslaved the population.
The Royal Navy's fight against slavery wasn't only confined to West Africa but continued until well into the 20th century in the waters between East Africa and Arabia. In fact British warships operating in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas continued to carry anti-slavery manuals until 1971!
We must remember that every nation in history which has risen to great power - The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, Persians, Moors, Spain, France, Portugal, China... Every single one of them was involved in slaving of some sort. It was not a purely British preserve and we should not beat ourselves up over it. In my view we should in fact be proud that we were the first great power to take a moral stand against this vile trade and then spend a sizeable fraction of our national wealth and deploying our huge naval power to bring it to an end. Bravo, says I! (Edit - typo)
There is not a single nation on earth that has not been in the slave trade. Not ONE. From Nicaragua to England to Cambodia. Slavery was universal throughout the world before the Printing press allowed the common man to read the Bible and innact its precepts of morality instead of surviving under the boot heel of the so called Catholic "Church" which was nothing but an extension of the existing priesthood aristocratic class from Roman/Greek times.
THen you need to learn how to read Renan because the Bible specifically states that all those who kidnap, should be killed... The only scenario allowed is if YOU sold yourself and then only for a very short specific period of time at which point you automatically became free. @@renanooliveira
It is so sad that any discussion about the history of the slave trade has to be prefaced with a disclaimer in case it offends anyone. The video's focus on the British fight against the slave trade is something to be proud of, rather than something that we should be afraid of mentioning.
The American involvement in these patrols was one of the longest US military operations in history (perhaps second only to the Korean War which still technically hasn't ended) lasting 42 years. Ships that saw action featured names like Constitution, Constellation, Lexington, and Saratoga. It is fascinating to remember that American sailors and marines were being sent out to fight against the practice of slavery while at the same time it was legal in half of the United States.
William Magoffin. At the same time it was legal in MOST of the US states, as in MOST of the Commonwealth colonies. The US banned the Atlantic Trade simultaneously with the UK in 1807 during the Jefferson administration (he supported the act), and it took effect on the first day of the 20th year of the Republic 1808 (Constitution said no new federal slave regulation laws for 20 years). In 1808 most mid Atlantic states and New England states still had slavery legal, or grandfathered out (between 1830 and 1850 as current slaves died of age). Eventually states like NY and Mass would cut the grandfathered attrition off at a particular year, but after this squadron was long working. Reporters in 1830 still recount Black slave gangs in chains working at road building in New York and Connecticut, etc.... Rhode Island was the US center of the American portion of the slave trade, and many fleet operators there would continue to reflag their ships with Caribbean nations, Spain or Portuguese to evade US and UK law. The Brown (Brown University) family would have their hand in slavery and heavy investments in Cuban slave plantations well past the US Civil War years. That being said, in the years immediately prior to the Wilberforce/Jefferson acts, the British mercantile fleet was by far the largest transporters of transatlantic slaves in the world. Surpassing Iberian, French, US trade combined. History is full of unnoticed ironies.
@@STho205 Also US Ships committed to the antislavery effort weren't really all that effective compared to Brittish. Not due to any deficiency on the part of then USN or the particular crews, but compared to RN which essentially gave its captains carte blanche USN ships were restricted by various legalities that preempted them from going on the rampage as the RN ships did.
Michal Soukup. RN captains of the era were used to heavy handed acts of unilateral piracy in commerce. They boarded neutral flag ships 1804-1812 and kidnapped any sailors they assumed to be British, but really just used it as an excuse to Shanghai crew to fill berths. It was legal according to the UK alone. Everyone else saw it as piracy, especially when they fired on and boarded neutral naval vessels in sight of their home ports. The British Maritime fleet was also far more effective in the actual slave trade leading up to 1808 than the US fleet when the trade was made bilaterally illegal. In 1790 the British were dominate in transporting African captives all over the world. Even surpassing the Spanish, Portuguese and French (who had given up the practice for a few years then restarted it after the Haiti rebellions when they ironically asked the RN to help crush the rebellion). Those facts made it even more heroic that Pitt's Parliament were able to pass Wilberforce's bill in 1807.
Before you got involved the RN was stopping all ships except the US ships so the UK had a chat with your Navy people and said to them , if we were to "accidently " stop a US ship thinking it was a slaver what would you do , with a nod and a wink the reply was , well these things happen .so it's no problem . ruclips.net/video/JWdA4tQAw1k/видео.html
Slavery is a blot on our history, a shame that should never be brushed under the carpet, but equally so, this period should be be remember with pride. Another welcome slice of naval history.
@@hajoos.8360 - When you lay the facts out so comprehensively it's difficult for me to dispute them. Thanks for your valuable and entirely rational contribution.
@@hajoos.8360 And im sure you arent inflating those numbers with fraudulent population counts or including typical local famine independant of the royal navy, famines caused by local rulers without compulsion, or utilizing famines suffered in wartime conditions at the frontline. Because internent people are honest and have good sources and are never misinformed.
@@morgan3688 Have a look on the Battle "The Glorious First of June" when Admiral Howe defeated Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse tactically. By the fact that Villaret-Joyeuse was only a post-captain before the war, the Frenchies fought relatively in a good shape. But the only reason for the sortie of the French fleet was to protect around 100 merchantmen who transported wheat from the US to France. France suffered under a bad harvest, so the revolutionary government bought the corn in the US. At war i have no problem that the Brits start a hand-strike against the French Man'o'wars in Brest. But British plans to let suffer the French Civilians was a character-sphincter-action.
This was a brilliant episode about a very dark time and topic, but you handle it with a maturity that is priceless and all too rare. Bravo, well done, and God bless you, sir!
I wonder why there haven't been made any movies (iirc) about this. Fighting slavers with fast warships and heavy firepower sounds like a great setting for a series of great movies.
You know why - the people who make movies are limp-wristed left leaning liberals who have already decided that the British are all slave trading racists. No movie saying the truth can ever be allowed. So sad isn't it.
There is an interesting scene in the film Amistad with a RN officer giving evidence. Since then this film has been condemned as being a "White saviour narrative". Thus it ideologically impossible to present white people doing good for non white people.
For anyone visiting the Baltimore Inner Harbor, a ship that served in the West African Squadron, the USS Constellation is a museum ship on display there.
Hey just wanted to say love to show also wanted to say as A BM here in the states Ive never knew of this at all thanks for opening my eyes Great to know in the dark times there was a Power out there that did use there Might for what was Right!!! Here Here for the Union Jack Im just sad to see it took so long for my country that i do love to Learn to do the same thanks again
As was the US Army. Many thousands of Americans died fighting slavery. America only had legal slavery for a little less than a century, much too long, but a lot less time than many other nations.
Great video. For those interested in this period of history, apart from the obvious factual sources, I would recommend The Commodore by Patrick O'Brian. Apart from dealing specifically with the early anti slavery patrol, it's part of ,IMHO the best written historical fiction series ever and should be on the reading list of anyone interested in naval warfare.
@@alexalban8688 Here's some historical non-fiction..the story of the only slave trader hanged for his crimes in the United States -- Hanging Captain Gordon - ruclips.net/video/pjZPGdOIS_Y/видео.html More need to know of this story --- there's also a well-written book by the same title.
I am to some extent bemused by your disclaimer at the beginning of this presentation. The British, whatever their initial errors with regards to the slave trade, undertook a courageous and noble effort to suppress it. More to the point, they not only opposed this barbarity with words, they sacrificed blood and treasure to help obliterate this ugly stain on the history of mankind. I am an American, and while I am proud of the many Americans who died in our Civil War, in part to destroy slavery in our country, I am deeply humbled by the Royal Navy's undertaking. My point is that you have nothing to apologize or issue disclaimers for. The Royal Navy will always be able to point to their long and expensive effort with great pride. Those who cannot or will not accept this are fools, and their opinions do not matter.
@@historyonthego So in other words you reject the idea of redemption by good acts? If you are damned forever by your (or your ancestors') errors of the past, then why take any steps to attempt to put things right?
@@historyonthego You mean what EVERYBODY did? Why judge the British more than others? If the British are evil for having slavery, than every other culture is evil, including the Africans who sold all those slaves. And if everyone is evil, then the least evil are the best. Those would be the British.
The point that was made in the disclaimer at the start So as an individual I do something that I later deem wrong. I can either carry on doing it because I've done it once, and therefore must always do it that way, or I can I learn from that and not do it again, and try to make amends @@historyonthego
@@toasterbathboi6298The United States conjured a monumental Gordian knot of politics and law by signing up to actively combat the slave trade when half the states in the country were using slaves.
Having actually been ashore on Ascension Island, the graves of the men of these squadrons- that lived long enough to be buried on land, were a thought provoking testimony to challenges of this duty.
It is surprising when reading these comments how few English are aware of this remarkable achievement in their own history. I would think to recommend this video or subject matter in any classroom in G.B. I also wish to recognize the presenter for not lionizing the topic and seeking empirical balance. As history is rarely clean and simple.
Q&A Given recent events with the American Navy and the Norwegian Navy, would it be more effective/economical to do away with missiles and guns on ships, and replace them with much more effective weapons such as Container ships, and Oil tankers?
>turns of transponder while entering busy harbor with a lot of traffic >think tanker is stationary >told 3 times by tanker to move or get hit >no were fine fam >TENNO HEIKA BANZAI.webm >Helge Ingstad "We have collided with an unknown object" >$500 million FFG sinks..... the absolute state of the Norwegian military! XD
VERY well done video about an aspect of British Naval history that doesn't receive the credit it duly deserves, which this presentation well tries to correct.
probably my favorite part of british history. not many times can you say there are good guys and bad guys. often it's more complex and nuanced. but sending ships to stop slavery, that's admirable.
See, I know we all like to shit on the British government and politicians in general, but I truly believe that without people like William Wilberforce we wouldn't have gotten this result.
Politician's and Military men who are willing to Fight to end a evil practice, even risking their careers by taking on Powerful men in Government and their backers who grew wealthy from this evil and will use every dirty trick to stop them, deserve to be called Great and Remembered for what they did. These men, all too often Forgotten, are the ones who inspire others in their unequal fights to do what is both right and good for their Countries, even when it's both unpopular and dangerous to do so. Its said a honest man in any Government is a rare thing and a honest man who is willing to risk his career to do the right thing, is even rarer still. They Should be Remembered and Cherished for both their conviction and honesty in any Nation or Time.
spooky shadow hawk I’d be interested in knowing where you got your info from, I’ve done a (albeit very quick) search and found that African Americans tend to be generally around 20% European, though I haven’t checked the source yet.
Thank you for that, fascinating. In my youth, it was my privilege to know an elderly Sea Scout leader who had served in the "anti slavery patrols in the Red Sea." Can you expand on this station. His ship had very limited refrigeration and he described it as ""condemned for the station."
Drach, great vid but a minor correction: the Somerset case was heard in 1772, not 1722. Some historians have even argued it was a cause of increased Southern support for independence.
Slavery in Central and South America continued well into the 20th century. Britain only stopped the West African slave trade. Slavery in Asia is yet another story.
Trying to conquer the colonies that are now Canada got your wrists slapped. Not your land, not your right. They were patriots. If you had insisted on supporting slavery, we would have stamped America out utterly and made the colonies great again. The sons of liberty learned all they could from the fathers. 🇬🇧
This is one of the few moments in history when a few good political leaders, backed by another few good naval and military personnel managed to bring about justice and humanity. The world needs to set aside a minute of silence for these men every year at least, if only to remember their remarkable achievement.
We do something special. At the last night of The Promenade Concerts we sing "Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves, Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. ". There are those who have decided that the song should be banned because it celebrates colonialism. If only they knew...
It would also be so inspiring for good action today, rather than action that only makes one look good, but where a person or group gives no better alternative (support for Forced Entry & Settlement is a good example, which is inherently uncontrollable, before reverting back to Consensual Entry & Settlement).
"a few good political leaders, backed by another few good naval and military personnel"? Excuse me, with respect, I recommend you read more and think again. Credit please where due. Underlying this is a very long tradition of Englishmen including before William of Normandy's conquest, feeling 'uncomfortable' about slavery. The Doomesday Book (1085) itself confirms that compared to most other European nations in England there were relatively few slaves. At least as far back as the time of Francis Drake born c. 1540-43, Devonshire, England-died January 28, 1596, there has been a convention Among English (later British) sea men that any slave who set foot on an English (British) ship was immediately a freeman. This did not always happen. However, crew lists and other sources confirm there were often African men among British crews where "if a man was a sailor he'd get along fine, if not he's sure in hell". Note, the reference is to competence not colour.
@@gordonfrickers5592 And as usual, you get all riled up by small details rather than the bigger picture. Of course it did not always happen, but the fact that things turned out right eventually does not make the exceptions the rule.
I’m half English so when I was in high school my classmates would take every opportunity to roast me. One day one of them said he saw a movie in history class where the British were tying slaves to rocks and throwing them overboard and how awful we are. Turns out the movie was Armistad and the British in the film were trying to stop the slave trade. I can’t express the pride I felt watching a ship of the line with a white ensign flying over it blow a slave fort to smithereens. After years of being called a red coat I realized that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to be a red coat.
There is a plaque an a wall in Freetown, Sierra Leon (the capital) commemorating The West African Squadron. The local school children are taught that this is where the British brough the freed slaves.
Really well put together, I do enjoy your videos. I do have a slight point about British law, positive law is a law that all citizens have to obey. When a person is incarcerated they can be forced to work, this meets the legal definition of slavery, hence the Judges ruling. A law that has not been enacted into positive law is enforcing of contractual law and the only requirement to obey that law is if you have signed a contract promising to obey that law.
Thank you for giving me my history, and telling it as it is ! , brilliant. This needs to be made into a film to tell the british what and how they battled the slave trade . UK roots ! MORE .
Excellent. There is a lot of misinformation about British involvement in "The Trade", starting with Drake and Hawkins, but the British Empire was the first Government to address the problem. However Henry 1st didn't succeed in abolishing "Slavery" in England. Feudalism existed for generations and only died out in the 14thC due to the Black Death, amid the Political & Economic upheaval due to the shortage of Manual Labour. Indeed, in times of want, medieval people would "choose" to enslave themselves for a fixed period to a Landlord just to survive. But this is not in the period discussed, so I'll ignore that point. Again, excellent & as usual, very informative.
No national entity is perfect; being comprised of imperfect humans all nations make mistakes. Great Britain has made loads of them. The mere fact that Britain near single handedly (with modest US assistance) ended one of the most awful institution ever created by any human forgives many of her mistakes. Their efforts represented decency of the highest order.
I served in the USN in the late 80s, early 90s; so I do know a little about Naval history. A high school "friend" and I were debating on Facebook about this subject. He falls squarely in the category that the US never did anything to stop slavery and did everything to continue the trade of slaves. I informed him of our (USN & USMC) part in fighting slavery in the Med and off the coast of West Africa. I was told I knew nothing about history. One of his friends, a self proclaimed Naval Historian, said that the USN did nothing to fight against slavery and actually used assets to protect the slave trade. Considering I was trained by Marines, but served in the Navy, the Drill Instructor with the sailors mouth, unleashed a broadside that would have been the envy of Nelson! In an efficient, military manner, informed him of the USS Philadelphia, its grounding, subsequent capture by Barbary Pirates, impressment of its crew into slavery, and subsequent burning by Bainbridge to prevent recovery and use. I was told that no white person of that period was ever a slave. Hmm, selective or rewritten history, some people will do anything to push a narrative. The so called Naval historian said that Americans/Europeans were never taken as slaves by the Barbary pirates. You know, you really can't fix stupid. What's worse is people like that breed!
The Royal Navy in the 1800s was basically a vicious dog on a nearly broken leash,they'll bark at you,try running up to you and bite you,sometimes succeeding due to the state of the leash,but will mainly just deter you,but once the leash finally snaps under the pressure,oh boy are ya done for.
Q&A How hard is it for a nation of to integrate a vessel from a foregn nation into its own fleet. And how hard would it be to refit them to match there new nations equipment??
Depends when in history you are talking about. In the age of sail, relatively easy, in fact it was done regularly. Captured ships were bought from the captains and crews of the vessels that captured them through Prize Courts, they were refurbished, repaired and returned to service under their new flag. To give an idea of this, at Trafalgar the following RN Ships of the Line were not actually built for the Royal Navy: HMS Spartiate, HMS Belleisle and HMS Tonnant, all three had originally been French Ships and were captured during the Battle of the Nile. Foreign ships were also reconfigured during both World Wars, by both sides. Problem lies with the issue that as technology becomes more complex, so refitting a ship that has been captured becomes more difficult, more lengthy a process, and more expensive. Still doable, but its not as simple a process as it was, and a longer one.
@@alganhar1 Which is why post-WW1 it was was primarily the under-equipped French and Italian navies that incorporated ex-German ships into their fleets. In 1918, both of their navies had a grand total of zero light cruisers, so they used seized German ones until they could build their own. They were both absolutely planning to incorporate any modern battleships and battlecruisers they could obtain from the High Seas Fleet into their navies as well, if not for Admiral Reuter taking that option away from them. (Though it turns out that Italy could barely afford to operate even the battleships they already had.) The complexity and expense of refitting foreign ships in the modern era is why we didn't see an "HMS Baden" in Royal Navy service through WW2, even though SMS Baden was clearly superior to the R-class battleships and even had some advantages over the Queen Elizabeth-class. I suspect that the way France would've dealt with this if they'd managed to seize all the German ships they wanted in 1918 would've been...just standardizing on German equipment. Given the aforementioned complete lack of light cruisers and the superiority of the König, Derfflinger, and Bayern classes to France's Bretagne-class, the captured German ships would've been staying in service longer than the existing French-built ones.
@@alganhar1 Interestingly after WWII the UK turned down the offer of major Italian units ( eg a Roma class 15" battleship) as reparations giving the lack of availability of spares as the reason - allegedly. Make no mistake the Italian navy had fine ships.
@TheArgieH: Indeed, the Italian Navy had some superb ships. Their naval personel were also, on the whole, better trained and motivated than the army. The main issue with the Italian Navy was not the quality of its ships and men, but lack of fuel. @RedXIV: Good points there, as an expansion on your last point though, I think while standardisation on German units might have been an option to start, I think France would certainly have looked at incorporating aspects from those German designs into their own designs in the interwar period. Given that the French and Germans were designing ships to face very different Navies in very different waters. The German Light Cruisers would likely not have been ideal for French needs (despite their superiority), so we have the interesting possibility if this had happened of seeing some hybrid designs with major elements of both French and German design philosophies.
I wish I learned about the West Africa Squadron, and the role the Royal Navy had in ending Slavery not only in Europe, but also, to an extent, the United States.
Check out some of the publications (essays, sermons, newspaper editorials, etc.) by pro-slavery advocates from the 1800's. Some went even so far as to claim we were doing a FAVOR to these primitive, lesser beings by enslaving them. After all a black person is at best only 2/3 of a white person (according to them).
The RN surveyor, Capt. Owen who sounded the rivers, bays, and channels, in west Africa, which the slavers used for hiding in, foraging from or transporting their human cargo out to the sea from, made his initial name surveying Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Owen Sound Ontario is named after him. His talents enabled the RN to have the most accurate readings of navigable waters and passages, giving a real tactical advantage in interdicting the slavers.
I'm from Asia and my country had slaves for ages and abolished slavery due to the arrival of European traders, mainly the Brits and they disdained us for still having slaves.
I generally have a dim opinion of The British Empire and other Colonial Empires from this period due to the treatment of native peoples, but the captains who took it upon themselves to hunt down slavers even without concern for the political consequences back home absolutely deserve more credit for ending the transatlantic slave trade, and should be held up as proof of humans' willingness do right even when others around them won't.
Actually, the war against slavery was widely reported back home during peacetime. The public thoughrouly supported the efforts of the royal navy and every victory over slavers was a cause for celebration. It renewed a sense of patriotism from the public each time a slave ship was stopped.
It was the government in London that protected the rights of the natives like the Aborigines and the Native Americans because the local Australian and British North American (Canada) administration are all in for integration and mitigation to the point of ethnic cleansing
Drachinifel, thank you for touching on this much misunderstood, worthy subject in which I have a long time interest. A question please, do you know of and where I could find more about the ships involved in particular the schooner HMS Pickle, (often confused with the schooner Pickle famous for racing with the Trafalgar dispatch to London) built if I recall well, 1820 at Bermuda and the third R N ship to have this name? At least as far back as the time of Francis Drake born c. 1540-43, Devonshire, England-died January 28, 1596, there has been a convention Among English (later British) sea men that any slave who set foot on an English (British) ship was immediately a freeman. This did not always happen. However, crew lists and other sources confirm there were often African men among British crews where "if a man was a sailor he'd get along fine, if not he's sure in hell". Note, the reference is to competence not colour. There was a famous African listed as Able Seaman and Assistant Surgeon on HMS Racehorse when the very specially prepared and crewed only by experienced volunteers Racehorse sailed (1773) as part of the Royal Navy's first voyage of science and discovery to the Arctic Circle. His name was Olaudah Equiano although listed as Gustav Weston. One of his shipmates was a young man named Horatio Nelson. For anyone wishing to learn more about the British and slavery Olaudah's story make a very good read. He is well covered all be it in brief in the book 'Nelson's Arctic Voyage' by Peter Goodwin. One of the illustrations was painted by me and if you look carefully you will see 'A B Gustav Weston' working with his shipmates (Racehorse is also on my website under 'Nelson & Trafalgar'). Born a prince in Africa after numerous adventures, in England he wrote a book that helped the abolitionist campaigns to stop slavery. Olaudah's time as a sailor was not exceptional, many Africans became British seamen about which I could tell you much more. I think it important to conclude by adding, underlying this is a very long tradition of Englishmen including before William of Normandy's conquest, feeling 'uncomfortable' about slavery. The Doomesday Book (1085) itself confirms that compared to most other European nations in England there were relatively few slaves.
I must tell of my disgust for the need to make that initial statement - one would think that was obvious. But, of course, I'm stupid... Please, do carry on with your great videos. And thank you.
While Slavery in the United States wouldn't be abolished until the aftermath of the Civil War, a law was passed in 1807 (took effect Jan. 1st, 1808) that banned the importation of slaves. That's right in line with the picture of the royal decree in the video. I was wondering if you had any information about whether or not these things were connected. Is this a coincidence, or are they related? Was this part of a deal worked out between the two nations? Were American abolitionists inspired enough by the move to push for something similar in the US? Just curious. Coincidences certainly happen, but for such similar responses to such a major issue, it seems less likely.
The right to own slaves was a Founding Constitutional right in the US. To appease the anti-slavery lobby, it only lasted 20 years unless renewed. When President Jefferson saw how SERIOUS Britain was, he had no choice. Even if he were pro-slavery, not taking abolitionist steps would have led to the Royal Navy literally abolishing America. With no Napoleonic wars and no need to hold back, America would have stood no chance.
They are related. Despite the war of American Independence, US and UK politicians of a certain stripe maintained relations and communications. I would note here that during Parliamentarian debates during the American Revolution, members of the more liberal elements of the involved parties would sometimes refer to Washington's Army as 'our army.'
Slavers: We're going fly a flag of another country so British ships can't search us without it being an act of war against yet another country. Royal Navy: Jokes on you I'm into that shit.
Indentured servitude and forced child labor due to immense poverty? Yes. Rich barons _literally_ owning and selling human beings in a global market? Not to my knowledge...
@@Sky_Guy "Indentured servitude and forced child labor due to immense poverty" - but who do you think creates the economic conditions under which that servitude and poverty thrive, and who benefits from if most? You could start with certain multi-nationals....
I really enjoy your channel and I do realize that this is about naval actions but I find it would be remiss of me if I did not mention and say hooray William Wilberforce God bless that man
I visited Freetown Sierra Leone, Back in 1981, while wandering around Freetown, I found a brass plaque under a big old tree. Which commemorated the spot under this particular tree in the centre of Freetown as the location where slaves freed by the RN would be released. It didn’t matter where they had been enslaved, they were all released at this location, most would never find their way home. The population of Freetown and Sierra Leon being a cosmopolitan mix of indigenous people and freed slaves from all over west Africa. At the time I was there it was a peaceful friendly place, a few years latter Sierra Leon descended into the violence and civil war associated with the blood diamond trade.
My son has stopped talking to me because I believe that we should be proud of Britain's efforts to end the slave trade. He is awash with hatred of his country because of our part in the slave trade prior to this.
'they tried to get away by flying flags of other nations, but that didnt work because Britain was at war with practicaly everyone'
yeh and they still couldnt beat us lol
@@marydoherty9188 except in 1812
@@cal2522 Who converted the White House into a Black House?
@@cal2522 “White House” - 1812 was successful and we won that war
@@Brecconable Who returned it to the way it was before and drove the uneven teeth of the British, trying desperately to chomp at the shores off New Orleans and New York, until peace was signed?
UK legal system: Slavery banned. Slavers: We object! UK legal system: Dear Navy, I will not be looking for decade, can you please take care of this particular problem.
More like 40 years...
Slavers: "We object!"
Royal Navy: "You and what army?"
@@Self-replicating_whatnot More like "objection denied(with 32 pound cannon ball)"
More accurately: Nelson can't save you guys now. Navy, go to town.
"The air of England has long been too pure for a slave, and every man is free who breathes it.
"
James Mansfield
Mansfield was a noted British lawyer and jurist of the mid-18th to early 19th centuries. He was one of the lawyers representing the escaped slave James Somersett, of whom we heard in this presentation.
Subjects....
Its a good quote, and I like it. But I hate to be that guy who then brings it up, yet will do so. Insert comment here about the actual air quality at the time. Industrial revolution, coal power, all that.
Mansfield was just repeating what had been stated in a previous 16C case
yes... smells like coal, and shit from west london...
As an African American man, I am very grateful to the Drachinifel channel for providing this little-known history! Thank you.
You may be interested in the story of the only slave trader hanged for his crimes in the United States -- Hanging Captain Gordon - ruclips.net/video/pjZPGdOIS_Y/видео.html
More need to know of this story --- there's also a well-written book by the same title.
As a white American, I recall history classes discussing the triangle trade and the continual strife between northern & southern states over slavery & states' rights, but I don't recall any discussion of British impact on the decline of the slave trade. Perhaps the curriculum didn't permit such extensive coverage?
Either way, Britain's role in the demise of the trade is noteworthy, and I continue to be amazed at man's barbarism toward his fellow man throughput the annals of history.
@@77thTromboneYes, and I am also amazed at how huge, huge essential facts of history are deleted for the sake of political & ideological agendas of the Intelligentsia or Ruling Classes in regards to education in the US & UK. What else could it be? It isn't the interests of the majority people or culture, the ignoring of it is the exact opposite of that, and the exact opposite of the white supremacy hypothesis working today.
@@pebblepod30 Speaking
as one whose grandparents owned a lawn jockey, and
as one who painted said lawn jockey when he was a kid, and
as on who finds the same lawn jockey to be a ridiculous, insulting caricature, and
as one who wants to keep _and display_ same lawn jockey as a historical artifact (against the advice of my siblings,) and
as one who can't answer for all cases,
I think things are not nearly as coherently conspiratorial as you suspect. Certainly there was more coherency in [particularly black] racial suppression in the southeastern U.S. states, but I think a lot of it was more of what might be called "provincial myopia."
I am not saying the past was right, but I am saying: if you gauge the totality of the past against modern educational, cultural, technological norms, you will be hard put to find a major culture anywhere in history that engenders zero complaints against a modern standard.
Further, consider that modern society is a result of aspirational ideals that were forged in history and have been refined in countless iterations over the years.
@@cybrhunk333 I just followed your link and watched this. Posted in 2011 with only 670 views at the present time. It deserves very many more as it's fascinating.
The thing that is so sad is that today we completely ignore this achievement of British, a singular thing that has never been done before and since; a nation out of pure morality and against its interest doing something simply because it was right, regardless of costs.
There is much that English should be proud of, but this is without a doubt the most amazing thing of all.
Don't forget 600,000 dead Union soldiers.
Not just the English, Marek. Many of the sailors in the RN were recruited from maritime areas, many of those were in Scotland, including a couple of my ancestors.
On a related note, every race on Earth profited from slavery at some point, but only the British made a concerted and long term attempt to end it, something that the rest of the Western World eventually caught up with after the Brits had done most of the heavy lifting.
That continues to the present day. While I was in the RN I took place in operations to deter and prosecute 'people smuggling', which is often pretty much indistinguishable from traditional slavery.
@@billyclement5141 yeah, using England meaning Britian annoys me as an Englishman, it was never England, it was never an English Empire, it was always British!!!!
@@billyclement5141 -Not only the British. The United States fought a long & bloody war to end slavery.
@@tinman1843 As articulated by President Abraham Lincoln, the United States Union troops fought the War Between the States primarily to preserve the Union, though the moral impact of their fight was positive as well.
I've known about the Royal Navy's history of combatting the slave trade, but I am honestly surprised by the sheer gusto they conducted that campaign with. Same thing for the government of the time, I don't see any modern government giving their navy free reign to do anything today. So I learned a lot about a positive bit of RN history. Thank you for the excellent work as always.
It couldn't happen in an era of instant communications. The time and distance involved in getting word from a seized ship to that ship's government and then to London for protest meant that any incident was months old and beyond any form of immediate redress, effectively insulating the squadron from consequences. News - and orders - travels too fast nowadays for a commander to get away with anything like this amount of independent action.
That >sheer gusto< came from seeing (and smelling) the pure horror on board a slaver when boarding one for the first time.
The other fact to consider is how much it freed Britain. The economy was tied and dependent to the slave trade and the sugar trade, with that being repressed investment and talent went into the emerging industrial revolution. Think how much of an anchor the slave states were on the US economy.
I believe that much of the legislative made to combat transatlantic slavery is still in force in one way or another, so, should it ever become actuall again I can definitively see RN comming down with murderous intent on any and all slavers on the sea
We need the Royal Navy to return to it's roots and start wiping out pirates in Africa and South East Asia, the only good pirate is a dead pirate.
The Royal Navy, abolition through superior firepower.
True. A practical solution nonetheless though.
And for once, a case where outright bullying and military force is perfectly legitimate considering who it is used against.
Also the Royal Navy: opium trade through superior firepower.
Pretty much how you have to get stuff done
As well as diplomatic pressure, that's how freedom for fellow humans was achieved. if you are a world power what better use is there of a superpower than to free the enslaved, the only world power in history to do so it's normally the opposite world powers enslaved. Now as a black person this knowledge should be thought in schools about how one little island fought a worldwide planet of black and white people, to free people.
This makes me weep with joy. The UK should be proud of this effort. Why this history is routinely ignored in British schools is completely beyond me.
Isn't beyond ME, it goes against the anti-white anti-British leftist narrative infesting virtually everything in our education system and mainstream media now- talking about this might show the British Empire actually did good positive things and wasn't wholly evil, we can't have that can we
Cuz then politicians lose their racial leverage
Possibly it's ignored because to explore it would highlight the fact that it was the English who introduced African slavery to North America, and that, although Parliament had the power to eliminate slavery in their empire, they didn't do so until the 1830s. There is nothing praiseworthy about waiting 200 years to abolish slavery.
I'm not knocking the work of the west Africa squadron on the work the British did to end the triangle trade. However, it would be a bit odd if you guys made it a point of national pride considering you guys were responsible for the triangle trade in the first place.
I had savaged the British Empire recently on another Drach video for inventing the modern concentration camp in their war against the Boers. I’m glad to know this history as well.
As an American we have our own genocidal atrocities against our ‘First Peoples’ of course. Empires can only be carved out by violent force, no matter the time or continent.
On a historic note, I read an accounting of the "last slave ship" the Wanderer and her devious exploits up until 1858. She was never caught, so fast a ship she was. And, one of her "sister" ships, a slaver called the Martha was captured by U.S. frigates, it was considered a prize catch. The Wanderer, the Martha, and one other slaver, whose name escapes me, were considered to be the prizes the anti-slavery squadrons all wanted. The Brits sent congratulations to the U.S. frigate, captain and crew, for snagging the Martha, but at the same time issued "orders" or perhaps "strong encouragement" to all her captains to please don't let the Americans have the honor of catching the Wanderer or the other elusive slaver.
That's what I get from trying to rely on a failing memory...a few notes. The Martha (Martha Kane) was captured by the USS Perry, a brig. I believe frigates were too slow to be of much use tracking down, catching, fast slaver ships. And in was in 1850. The third ship I was trying to remember was the Clotilda. In 1844 the USS Truxton, a brig, captured the slaver the Spitfire. Kind of ironic of a name given the discussion of the Brits' leadership in stopping the Atlantic slave trade.
Is this were George macdoanald frasier got his story from
An unsung hero of the anti-slavery movement is Admiral Sir SidneySmith RN. Smith is best known for being the first military commander to resoundly defeat Napoleon; at the Siege of Acre in 1799. After the war, Smith attended the 1814 Congress of Vienna for the expressed purpose of stopping the practice of slavery, specifically white slavery. His efforts produced results including the bombardment of Algiers in 1816 by the Royal Navy.
Sidney Smith is the real life action hero of the Napoleonic era.
Lindybeige has one magnificent video on Sir Sidney Smith's shenanigans, why and more importantly how he pissed off Napoleon so much. Video's name is Napoleon's greatest foe.
Nelson was not worthy to clean the boots of Sidney-Smith and Cochrane.
@@hajoos.8360 He'd have a hard time with only one arm. Tough work, being a Bootblack. Even harder being dead since 1805.
@@HootOwl513 Amputated people were common in these days, but more by accidents than by action or died by illness. I give you an example. During the 7-years-war, around 1.500 RN-members died in action, more than 100.000 by accidents and illness.
It's understandable why you had to give the disclaimer at the start. It's sad that even today the wounds of slavery all those hundreds of years ago are still constantly being opened over and over again, but again you prove what a class act you are, Drach. Thank you for this :)
As a currently serving member of our illustrious RN, I was aware that we were involved in stopping the slave trade, but not to the extent that we did. I believe more needs to be said publicly about this sort of thing, as opposed to the hand wringing we usually get. I know that this is the sort of history that needs to not only be taught in schools, but should also have been taught during our initial training. I know that we didn't get taught about our own heritage during basic.
16 yrs served and still learning :)
@Star Trek Theory Its better to let any sort of pre garnered hatred or stereo type fade buddy. You can believe what you wish too. Forming an opinion upon what name they call god is neither important or relevant. Please If you have a important or ground shaking revelation to add then do so. If not then please remain civil and do not bring this crap to the table, thank you.
Having just spent a while down the pub explaining the lengths we went to stamp out the slave trade when literally every other civilisation in human history was deeply involved in it, to disbelieving fools, I wholeheartedly agree.
I even told them that their taxes only stopped paying for it in 2015 and they didn't believe me. :p
Self hatred is unfortunately a British trait. George Orwell noticed it too.
The RN was still acting like privateers at this point. They preferred to enslave American sailors at this point in time. Plus their shit weather negates the need for slaves on the home front so they just colonized countries and basically enslaved the population.
Are there representations of Nelson's crew on the frieze at the bottom of his column?
@@rmalarkey188 so that's why I was paying 33% Tax.
The Royal Navy's fight against slavery wasn't only confined to West Africa but continued until well into the 20th century in the waters between East Africa and Arabia. In fact British warships operating in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas continued to carry anti-slavery manuals until 1971!
We must remember that every nation in history which has risen to great power - The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, Persians, Moors, Spain, France, Portugal, China... Every single one of them was involved in slaving of some sort. It was not a purely British preserve and we should not beat ourselves up over it. In my view we should in fact be proud that we were the first great power to take a moral stand against this vile trade and then spend a sizeable fraction of our national wealth and deploying our huge naval power to bring it to an end. Bravo, says I! (Edit - typo)
Science Chap Greeks had white slaves tho
There is not a single nation on earth that has not been in the slave trade. Not ONE. From Nicaragua to England to Cambodia. Slavery was universal throughout the world before the Printing press allowed the common man to read the Bible and innact its precepts of morality instead of surviving under the boot heel of the so called Catholic "Church" which was nothing but an extension of the existing priesthood aristocratic class from Roman/Greek times.
@@w8stral But slavery is fine in the bible, it's only forbidden to slave people from the same religion.
THen you need to learn how to read Renan because the Bible specifically states that all those who kidnap, should be killed... The only scenario allowed is if YOU sold yourself and then only for a very short specific period of time at which point you automatically became free. @@renanooliveira
@@w8stral these are the countries that werent in the slave trade which are panama, Haiti, Cuba, Iceland, Greenland, etc
It is so sad that any discussion about the history of the slave trade has to be prefaced with a disclaimer in case it offends anyone. The video's focus on the British fight against the slave trade is something to be proud of, rather than something that we should be afraid of mentioning.
Unfortunately, there are still a small but vocal amount people (or rather morons) to this day who would prefer the RN hadn't done this.
I took the disclaimer as trying to prevent people commenting that the RN should have acted sooner and more forcefully.
@@loficampingguy9664 The disclaimer is not for those people.
@@ernestcline2868 But, they should have...
Although we did. Despite it all.
The American involvement in these patrols was one of the longest US military operations in history (perhaps second only to the Korean War which still technically hasn't ended) lasting 42 years. Ships that saw action featured names like Constitution, Constellation, Lexington, and Saratoga. It is fascinating to remember that American sailors and marines were being sent out to fight against the practice of slavery while at the same time it was legal in half of the United States.
William Magoffin. At the same time it was legal in MOST of the US states, as in MOST of the Commonwealth colonies. The US banned the Atlantic Trade simultaneously with the UK in 1807 during the Jefferson administration (he supported the act), and it took effect on the first day of the 20th year of the Republic 1808 (Constitution said no new federal slave regulation laws for 20 years). In 1808 most mid Atlantic states and New England states still had slavery legal, or grandfathered out (between 1830 and 1850 as current slaves died of age). Eventually states like NY and Mass would cut the grandfathered attrition off at a particular year, but after this squadron was long working. Reporters in 1830 still recount Black slave gangs in chains working at road building in New York and Connecticut, etc....
Rhode Island was the US center of the American portion of the slave trade, and many fleet operators there would continue to reflag their ships with Caribbean nations, Spain or Portuguese to evade US and UK law. The Brown (Brown University) family would have their hand in slavery and heavy investments in Cuban slave plantations well past the US Civil War years.
That being said, in the years immediately prior to the Wilberforce/Jefferson acts, the British mercantile fleet was by far the largest transporters of transatlantic slaves in the world. Surpassing Iberian, French, US trade combined.
History is full of unnoticed ironies.
@@STho205 Also US Ships committed to the antislavery effort weren't really all that effective compared to Brittish. Not due to any deficiency on the part of then USN or the particular crews, but compared to RN which essentially gave its captains carte blanche USN ships were restricted by various legalities that preempted them from going on the rampage as the RN ships did.
Michal Soukup. RN captains of the era were used to heavy handed acts of unilateral piracy in commerce. They boarded neutral flag ships 1804-1812 and kidnapped any sailors they assumed to be British, but really just used it as an excuse to Shanghai crew to fill berths. It was legal according to the UK alone. Everyone else saw it as piracy, especially when they fired on and boarded neutral naval vessels in sight of their home ports.
The British Maritime fleet was also far more effective in the actual slave trade leading up to 1808 than the US fleet when the trade was made bilaterally illegal. In 1790 the British were dominate in transporting African captives all over the world. Even surpassing the Spanish, Portuguese and French (who had given up the practice for a few years then restarted it after the Haiti rebellions when they ironically asked the RN to help crush the rebellion).
Those facts made it even more heroic that Pitt's Parliament were able to pass Wilberforce's bill in 1807.
Before you got involved the RN was stopping all ships except the US ships so the UK had a chat with your Navy people and said to them , if we were to "accidently " stop a US ship thinking it was a slaver what would you do , with a nod and a wink the reply was , well these things happen .so it's no problem . ruclips.net/video/JWdA4tQAw1k/видео.html
The Indian wars were our longest military operation
It's only sensitive to those who do t like to be educated. As a Caribbean girl I thank you for ur work.
Bravo, well done, this documentary should be expanded and shown on the TV world wide. God bless the Royal Navy.
Slavery is a blot on our history, a shame that should never be brushed under the carpet, but equally so, this period should be be remember with pride. Another welcome slice of naval history.
The entire British history is a shame.
@@hajoos.8360 - When you lay the facts out so comprehensively it's difficult for me to dispute them. Thanks for your valuable and entirely rational contribution.
@@otterspocket2826 The Royal Navy caused 22 holodomors with around 80 Mio. victims.
@@hajoos.8360 And im sure you arent inflating those numbers with fraudulent population counts or including typical local famine independant of the royal navy, famines caused by local rulers without compulsion, or utilizing famines suffered in wartime conditions at the frontline. Because internent people are honest and have good sources and are never misinformed.
@@morgan3688 Have a look on the Battle "The Glorious First of June" when Admiral Howe defeated Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse tactically. By the fact that Villaret-Joyeuse was only a post-captain before the war, the Frenchies fought relatively in a good shape. But the only reason for the sortie of the French fleet was to protect around 100 merchantmen who transported wheat from the US to France. France suffered under a bad harvest, so the revolutionary government bought the corn in the US.
At war i have no problem that the Brits start a hand-strike against the French Man'o'wars in Brest. But British plans to let suffer the French Civilians was a character-sphincter-action.
This was a brilliant episode about a very dark time and topic, but you handle it with a maturity that is priceless and all too rare. Bravo, well done, and God bless you, sir!
I wonder why there haven't been made any movies (iirc) about this. Fighting slavers with fast warships and heavy firepower sounds like a great setting for a series of great movies.
You know why - the people who make movies are limp-wristed left leaning liberals who have already decided that the British are all slave trading racists. No movie saying the truth can ever be allowed. So sad isn't it.
There is an interesting scene in the film Amistad with a RN officer giving evidence. Since then this film has been condemned as being a "White saviour narrative". Thus it ideologically impossible to present white people doing good for non white people.
For anyone visiting the Baltimore Inner Harbor, a ship that served in the West African Squadron, the USS Constellation is a museum ship on display there.
Yep, and having been there, it is very much worth the visit.
Hey just wanted to say love to show also wanted to say as A BM here in the states Ive never knew of this at all thanks for opening my eyes Great to know in the dark times there was a Power out there that did use there Might for what was Right!!! Here Here for the Union Jack Im just sad to see it took so long for my country that i do love to Learn to do the same thanks again
The USN was right in there too.
As was the US Army. Many thousands of Americans died fighting slavery. America only had legal slavery for a little less than a century, much too long, but a lot less time than many other nations.
Great video.
For those interested in this period of history, apart from the obvious factual sources, I would recommend The Commodore by Patrick O'Brian. Apart from dealing specifically with the early anti slavery patrol, it's part of ,IMHO the best written historical fiction series ever and should be on the reading list of anyone interested in naval warfare.
Ron Swanson 100% agreed
I realize this comment is old, but thank you for the recommendation. I have been looking for good historical fiction.
@@alexalban8688 Here's some historical non-fiction..the story of the only slave trader hanged for his crimes in the United States -- Hanging Captain Gordon - ruclips.net/video/pjZPGdOIS_Y/видео.html
More need to know of this story --- there's also a well-written book by the same title.
I am to some extent bemused by your disclaimer at the beginning of this presentation. The British, whatever their initial errors with regards to the slave trade, undertook a courageous and noble effort to suppress it. More to the point, they not only opposed this barbarity with words, they sacrificed blood and treasure to help obliterate this ugly stain on the history of mankind. I am an American, and while I am proud of the many Americans who died in our Civil War, in part to destroy slavery in our country, I am deeply humbled by the Royal Navy's undertaking.
My point is that you have nothing to apologize or issue disclaimers for. The Royal Navy will always be able to point to their long and expensive effort with great pride. Those who cannot or will not accept this are fools, and their opinions do not matter.
Probably over the screams of Lord Nelson's ghost.
The effort of England is great but its still doesn’t negate what they did before
@@historyonthego So in other words you reject the idea of redemption by good acts? If you are damned forever by your (or your ancestors') errors of the past, then why take any steps to attempt to put things right?
@@historyonthego You mean what EVERYBODY did? Why judge the British more than others?
If the British are evil for having slavery, than every other culture is evil, including the Africans who sold all those slaves. And if everyone is evil, then the least evil are the best. Those would be the British.
The point that was made in the disclaimer at the start
So as an individual I do something that I later deem wrong. I can either carry on doing it because I've done it once, and therefore must always do it that way, or I can I learn from that and not do it again, and try to make amends @@historyonthego
Best use of tax payers money and warships ever.
gendalfff slavery was not started by the British empire. It had been going on long before Great Britain got involved.
@gendalfff I can't believe you just said the British invented slavery...
@@toasterbathboi6298The United States conjured a monumental Gordian knot of politics and law by signing up to actively combat the slave trade when half the states in the country were using slaves.
kind of a misnomer that they created the problem that was more span and the united providences
@ Don't think he has read the bible lol
You have to praise the film Amistad for its favourable portrayal of these efforts to eliminate slavery.
Indeed
My maternal great Uncle was a Royal Marine and involved in the stopping of one of the last slaver ships. He served in the West African Squadron.
In the climate of Britain in June 2020 this is an absolutely brilliant contribution.
its a sad reflection on modern sensibilities that history has to have caveats before a topic is discussed. Excellent Video
Having actually been ashore on Ascension Island, the graves of the men of these squadrons- that lived long enough to be buried on land,
were a thought provoking testimony to challenges of this duty.
It is surprising when reading these comments how few English are aware of this remarkable achievement in their own history. I would think to recommend this video or subject matter in any classroom in G.B.
I also wish to recognize the presenter for not lionizing the topic and seeking empirical balance. As history is rarely clean and simple.
Q&A Given recent events with the American Navy and the Norwegian Navy, would it be more effective/economical to do away with missiles and guns on ships, and replace them with much more effective weapons such as Container ships, and Oil tankers?
Maybe replace navigation officers with AI? Apparently the Norwegians thought the tanker was stationary...
>turns of transponder while entering busy harbor with a lot of traffic
>think tanker is stationary
>told 3 times by tanker to move or get hit
>no were fine fam
>TENNO HEIKA BANZAI.webm
>Helge Ingstad "We have collided with an unknown object"
>$500 million FFG sinks.....
the absolute state of the Norwegian military! XD
@@TEHSTONEDPUMPKIN Well 🤔 the Sardines are happy.....
Reminds me of a story of a ship challenging a lighthouse.
@Alain Archambault, you talking about this?
ruclips.net/video/U33Xg91HAlo/видео.html
VERY well done video about an aspect of British Naval history that doesn't receive the credit it duly deserves, which this presentation well tries to correct.
probably my favorite part of british history. not many times can you say there are good guys and bad guys. often it's more complex and nuanced. but sending ships to stop slavery, that's admirable.
Most British video ever. Humble, factual, informative, and (rightfully) slightly condescending towards the rest of the world.
See, I know we all like to shit on the British government and politicians in general, but I truly believe that without people like William Wilberforce we wouldn't have gotten this result.
I live just a few minutes walk from his home.
Politician's and Military men who are willing to Fight to end a evil practice, even risking their careers by taking on Powerful men in Government and their backers who grew wealthy from this evil and will use every dirty trick to stop them, deserve to be called Great and Remembered for what they did. These men, all too often Forgotten, are the ones who inspire others in their unequal fights to do what is both right and good for their Countries, even when it's both unpopular and dangerous to do so. Its said a honest man in any Government is a rare thing and a honest man who is willing to risk his career to do the right thing, is even rarer still. They Should be Remembered and Cherished for both their conviction and honesty in any Nation or Time.
Yes but try telling black racists that white men ended the 1000yr old trade that blacks and Muslims created and profited from .
spooky shadow hawk I’d be interested in knowing where you got your info from, I’ve done a (albeit very quick) search and found that African Americans tend to be generally around 20% European, though I haven’t checked the source yet.
Graham Johnson Or, alternatively, we can just agree that slavery is universally bad and stop being racist about it.
I have seen many dozens of your videos.
This is the best so far, imho.
Highly informative - from start to finish.
Thank you for creating this video.
☮
Thank you for that, fascinating.
In my youth, it was my privilege to know an elderly Sea Scout leader who had served in the "anti slavery patrols in the Red Sea." Can you expand on this station. His ship had very limited refrigeration and he described it as ""condemned for the station."
That bit at the end of Amistad where the brits destroy the slave fort and write the letter...
Bad ass.
Great history one of the truly great action of this nation and not give enough credit.
I'm an American, and I agree. By far the most shameful blot on our history.
Drach, great vid but a minor correction: the Somerset case was heard in 1772, not 1722. Some historians have even argued it was a cause of increased Southern support for independence.
Im surprised at this as I didn't know this part of my history had this much detail in it. Thank you Sir.
The East African Squadron also had slave ship chasers & a book written by John Broach called "Squadron" might interest you for ships to discuss.
Yes, the suppression of the Arab slave trade in the Indian Ocean was of major importance.
I had never realised that slavery was literally beaten out of the world like this, or that the British Empire played such a large role
Slavery in Central and South America continued well into the 20th century. Britain only stopped the West African slave trade. Slavery in Asia is yet another story.
The British: You simply cannot write history, good & bad, without them
Wow I never knew about this, thanks for sharing. Definitely something the Brits should be proud off!
Wow, I knew of this campaign. But not its extent and the fervor it with which it was prosecuted. Bravo!!!
The first time the United States and the United Kingdom became the allies that we have been ever since. Cheers, Limeys!
*mutters about WWI*
You're welcome, yank!
After all you are our little brothers😂🤣🇬🇧We love you USA
Trying to conquer the colonies that are now Canada got your wrists slapped. Not your land, not your right. They were patriots.
If you had insisted on supporting slavery, we would have stamped America out utterly and made the colonies great again. The sons of liberty learned all they could from the fathers. 🇬🇧
This is one of the few moments in history when a few good political leaders, backed by another few good naval and military personnel managed to bring about justice and humanity. The world needs to set aside a minute of silence for these men every year at least, if only to remember their remarkable achievement.
We do something special. At the last night of The Promenade Concerts we sing "Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves,
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. ".
There are those who have decided that the song should be banned because it celebrates colonialism. If only they knew...
@@lindsayheyes925 I am a fan of the Proms. ABC Classic Radio downunder features it yearly. Thanks and take care.
It would also be so inspiring for good action today, rather than action that only makes one look good, but where a person or group gives no better alternative (support for Forced Entry & Settlement is a good example, which is inherently uncontrollable, before reverting back to Consensual Entry & Settlement).
"a few good political leaders, backed by another few good naval and military personnel"? Excuse me, with respect, I recommend you read more and think again.
Credit please where due.
Underlying this is a very long tradition of Englishmen including before William of Normandy's conquest, feeling 'uncomfortable' about slavery.
The Doomesday Book (1085) itself confirms that compared to most other European nations in England there were relatively few slaves.
At least as far back as the time of Francis Drake born c. 1540-43, Devonshire, England-died January 28, 1596, there has been a convention Among English (later British) sea men that any slave who set foot on an English (British) ship was immediately a freeman.
This did not always happen.
However, crew lists and other sources confirm there were often African men among British crews where "if a man was a sailor he'd get along fine, if not he's sure in hell".
Note, the reference is to competence not colour.
@@gordonfrickers5592 And as usual, you get all riled up by small details rather than the bigger picture. Of course it did not always happen, but the fact that things turned out right eventually does not make the exceptions the rule.
Character development on a national level.
I’m half English so when I was in high school my classmates would take every opportunity to roast me. One day one of them said he saw a movie in history class where the British were tying slaves to rocks and throwing them overboard and how awful we are. Turns out the movie was Armistad and the British in the film were trying to stop the slave trade. I can’t express the pride I felt watching a ship of the line with a white ensign flying over it blow a slave fort to smithereens. After years of being called a red coat I realized that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to be a red coat.
Wauw. Dident know the brits practically brute forced the end of slavery. Thats a good use of power! Quite rare. Good on them! I tip my hat sirs
Thank you so very much for presenting this little know and never taught history in such a factual way!
There is a plaque an a wall in Freetown, Sierra Leon (the capital) commemorating The West African Squadron. The local school children are taught that this is where the British brough the freed slaves.
I'm glad its taught somewhere!! The British people seem to have forgotten about it but its a thing to be proud of for any country at any time.
Thank you for recognizing heroic actions against the scourge of the slave trade. Well done Brits!
Wow, so much history I didn't know. Your most interesting video yet. Thanks!
Really well put together, I do enjoy your videos. I do have a slight point about British law, positive law is a law that all citizens have to obey. When a person is incarcerated they can be forced to work, this meets the legal definition of slavery, hence the Judges ruling. A law that has not been enacted into positive law is enforcing of contractual law and the only requirement to obey that law is if you have signed a contract promising to obey that law.
Thank you for giving me my history, and telling it as it is ! , brilliant. This needs to be made into a film to tell the british what and how they battled the slave trade . UK roots ! MORE .
Excellent. There is a lot of misinformation about British involvement in "The Trade", starting with Drake and Hawkins, but the British Empire was the first Government to address the problem. However Henry 1st didn't succeed in abolishing "Slavery" in England. Feudalism existed for generations and only died out in the 14thC due to the Black Death, amid the Political & Economic upheaval due to the shortage of Manual Labour. Indeed, in times of want, medieval people would "choose" to enslave themselves for a fixed period to a Landlord just to survive.
But this is not in the period discussed, so I'll ignore that point. Again, excellent & as usual, very informative.
No national entity is perfect; being comprised of imperfect humans all nations make mistakes. Great Britain has made loads of them. The mere fact that Britain near single handedly (with modest US assistance) ended one of the most awful institution ever created by any human forgives many of her mistakes. Their efforts represented decency of the highest order.
I wrote an essay about the history of slavery with a big focus on it's eradication by the anti slavery squadrons! Thanks for the video I loved it
Thanks for this video. I knew something about what happened but not the details which you have provided.
I served in the USN in the late 80s, early 90s; so I do know a little about Naval history. A high school "friend" and I were debating on Facebook about this subject. He falls squarely in the category that the US never did anything to stop slavery and did everything to continue the trade of slaves. I informed him of our (USN & USMC) part in fighting slavery in the Med and off the coast of West Africa. I was told I knew nothing about history. One of his friends, a self proclaimed Naval Historian, said that the USN did nothing to fight against slavery and actually used assets to protect the slave trade. Considering I was trained by Marines, but served in the Navy, the Drill Instructor with the sailors mouth, unleashed a broadside that would have been the envy of Nelson! In an efficient, military manner, informed him of the USS Philadelphia, its grounding, subsequent capture by Barbary Pirates, impressment of its crew into slavery, and subsequent burning by Bainbridge to prevent recovery and use. I was told that no white person of that period was ever a slave. Hmm, selective or rewritten history, some people will do anything to push a narrative. The so called Naval historian said that Americans/Europeans were never taken as slaves by the Barbary pirates. You know, you really can't fix stupid. What's worse is people like that breed!
Agreed, the true story needs much more exposure in particular to wokes !
Even worse, these people have an equal vote to yours, outnumber you and breed like termites.
I pressed play and got the disclaimer and thought. Sounds like he's trying to be factual in reporting history, glad someone's trying to do it. :-)
This may have been your best episode, great video.
The Royal Navy in the 1800s was basically a vicious dog on a nearly broken leash,they'll bark at you,try running up to you and bite you,sometimes succeeding due to the state of the leash,but will mainly just deter you,but once the leash finally snaps under the pressure,oh boy are ya done for.
Thank you, Drach. A nice balanced video.
Q&A How hard is it for a nation of to integrate a vessel from a foregn nation into its own fleet. And how hard would it be to refit them to match there new nations equipment??
Depends when in history you are talking about. In the age of sail, relatively easy, in fact it was done regularly. Captured ships were bought from the captains and crews of the vessels that captured them through Prize Courts, they were refurbished, repaired and returned to service under their new flag.
To give an idea of this, at Trafalgar the following RN Ships of the Line were not actually built for the Royal Navy: HMS Spartiate, HMS Belleisle and HMS Tonnant, all three had originally been French Ships and were captured during the Battle of the Nile.
Foreign ships were also reconfigured during both World Wars, by both sides. Problem lies with the issue that as technology becomes more complex, so refitting a ship that has been captured becomes more difficult, more lengthy a process, and more expensive. Still doable, but its not as simple a process as it was, and a longer one.
@@alganhar1 Which is why post-WW1 it was was primarily the under-equipped French and Italian navies that incorporated ex-German ships into their fleets. In 1918, both of their navies had a grand total of zero light cruisers, so they used seized German ones until they could build their own. They were both absolutely planning to incorporate any modern battleships and battlecruisers they could obtain from the High Seas Fleet into their navies as well, if not for Admiral Reuter taking that option away from them. (Though it turns out that Italy could barely afford to operate even the battleships they already had.)
The complexity and expense of refitting foreign ships in the modern era is why we didn't see an "HMS Baden" in Royal Navy service through WW2, even though SMS Baden was clearly superior to the R-class battleships and even had some advantages over the Queen Elizabeth-class.
I suspect that the way France would've dealt with this if they'd managed to seize all the German ships they wanted in 1918 would've been...just standardizing on German equipment. Given the aforementioned complete lack of light cruisers and the superiority of the König, Derfflinger, and Bayern classes to France's Bretagne-class, the captured German ships would've been staying in service longer than the existing French-built ones.
@@alganhar1 Interestingly after WWII the UK turned down the offer of major Italian units ( eg a Roma class 15" battleship) as reparations giving the lack of availability of spares as the reason - allegedly. Make no mistake the Italian navy had fine ships.
@TheArgieH: Indeed, the Italian Navy had some superb ships. Their naval personel were also, on the whole, better trained and motivated than the army. The main issue with the Italian Navy was not the quality of its ships and men, but lack of fuel.
@RedXIV: Good points there, as an expansion on your last point though, I think while standardisation on German units might have been an option to start, I think France would certainly have looked at incorporating aspects from those German designs into their own designs in the interwar period. Given that the French and Germans were designing ships to face very different Navies in very different waters. The German Light Cruisers would likely not have been ideal for French needs (despite their superiority), so we have the interesting possibility if this had happened of seeing some hybrid designs with major elements of both French and German design philosophies.
I am happy to share this video to my British children, whom I know would be proud to learn these facts.
I wish I learned about the West Africa Squadron, and the role the Royal Navy had in ending Slavery not only in Europe, but also, to an extent, the United States.
Excellent vid on an intresting topic. Many thanks.
Regards
Kai
Great episode Drach, didn't know any of this.
Beautiful pictorial material. Simply spectacular!
Just a quick note/addendum: the US also maintained an anti-slavery patrol as well, including the USS Constellation (now a museum ship in Baltimore).
Many countries did by the late 19th century. Not there at the beginning though. Arriving late to the fight is a bit of a habit.
Great video. I boggles my mind that people can actually engage in the act of arguing FOR slavery.
Check out some of the publications (essays, sermons, newspaper editorials, etc.) by pro-slavery advocates from the 1800's. Some went even so far as to claim we were doing a FAVOR to these primitive, lesser beings by enslaving them. After all a black person is at best only 2/3 of a white person (according to them).
You have to remember it was a normal thing at that time.
Everyone was doing it.
thank you for adding to my knowledge on this subject
Very nice historical recounting of what happened.
Joseph Denman.
Needs to be a movie about that guy!
The RN surveyor, Capt. Owen who sounded the rivers, bays, and channels, in west Africa, which the slavers used for hiding in, foraging from or transporting their human cargo out to the sea from, made his initial name surveying Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Owen Sound Ontario is named after him. His talents enabled the RN to have the most accurate readings of navigable waters and passages, giving a real tactical advantage in interdicting the slavers.
I'm from Asia and my country had slaves for ages and abolished slavery due to the arrival of European traders, mainly the Brits and they disdained us for still having slaves.
Thank you for this.
I feel proud of my country and navy for what they did
I did not know of this. Excellent! Well done!
I’m amazed and so thankful to the funds used and the lives sacrifice to end something so terrible. Thank you.
I generally have a dim opinion of The British Empire and other Colonial Empires from this period due to the treatment of native peoples, but the captains who took it upon themselves to hunt down slavers even without concern for the political consequences back home absolutely deserve more credit for ending the transatlantic slave trade, and should be held up as proof of humans' willingness do right even when others around them won't.
Actually, the war against slavery was widely reported back home during peacetime. The public thoughrouly supported the efforts of the royal navy and every victory over slavers was a cause for celebration. It renewed a sense of patriotism from the public each time a slave ship was stopped.
Don't let the mad ramblings of wannabe modern slavers regarding "native" people cloud your eyes.
It was the government in London that protected the rights of the natives like the Aborigines and the Native Americans because the local Australian and British North American (Canada) administration are all in for integration and mitigation to the point of ethnic cleansing
Illuminating. Thank you for the video.
I don't see anything controversial here. But, this was excellent!
Drachinifel, thank you for touching on this much misunderstood, worthy subject in which I have a long time interest.
A question please, do you know of and where I could find more about the ships involved in particular the schooner HMS Pickle, (often confused with the schooner Pickle famous for racing with the Trafalgar dispatch to London) built if I recall well, 1820 at Bermuda and the third R N ship to have this name?
At least as far back as the time of Francis Drake born c. 1540-43, Devonshire, England-died January 28, 1596, there has been a convention Among English (later British) sea men that any slave who set foot on an English (British) ship was immediately a freeman.
This did not always happen.
However, crew lists and other sources confirm there were often African men among British crews where "if a man was a sailor he'd get along fine, if not he's sure in hell".
Note, the reference is to competence not colour.
There was a famous African listed as Able Seaman and Assistant Surgeon on HMS Racehorse when the very specially prepared and crewed only by experienced volunteers Racehorse sailed (1773) as part of the Royal Navy's first voyage of science and discovery to the Arctic Circle.
His name was Olaudah Equiano although listed as Gustav Weston.
One of his shipmates was a young man named Horatio Nelson.
For anyone wishing to learn more about the British and slavery Olaudah's story make a very good read.
He is well covered all be it in brief in the book 'Nelson's Arctic Voyage' by Peter Goodwin.
One of the illustrations was painted by me and if you look carefully you will see 'A B Gustav Weston' working with his shipmates (Racehorse is also on my website under 'Nelson & Trafalgar').
Born a prince in Africa after numerous adventures, in England he wrote a book that helped the abolitionist campaigns to stop slavery.
Olaudah's time as a sailor was not exceptional, many Africans became British seamen about which I could tell you much more.
I think it important to conclude by adding, underlying this is a very long tradition of Englishmen including before William of Normandy's conquest, feeling 'uncomfortable' about slavery.
The Doomesday Book (1085) itself confirms that compared to most other European nations in England there were relatively few slaves.
Important history. Long live the RN. Slavery is such a crime against humanity.
I must tell of my disgust for the need to make that initial statement - one would think that was obvious. But, of course, I'm stupid...
Please, do carry on with your great videos.
And thank you.
While Slavery in the United States wouldn't be abolished until the aftermath of the Civil War, a law was passed in 1807 (took effect Jan. 1st, 1808) that banned the importation of slaves. That's right in line with the picture of the royal decree in the video. I was wondering if you had any information about whether or not these things were connected. Is this a coincidence, or are they related? Was this part of a deal worked out between the two nations? Were American abolitionists inspired enough by the move to push for something similar in the US? Just curious. Coincidences certainly happen, but for such similar responses to such a major issue, it seems less likely.
The right to own slaves was a Founding Constitutional right in the US. To appease the anti-slavery lobby, it only lasted 20 years unless renewed.
When President Jefferson saw how SERIOUS Britain was, he had no choice. Even if he were pro-slavery, not taking abolitionist steps would have led to the Royal Navy literally abolishing America. With no Napoleonic wars and no need to hold back, America would have stood no chance.
They are related. Despite the war of American Independence, US and UK politicians of a certain stripe maintained relations and communications. I would note here that during Parliamentarian debates during the American Revolution, members of the more liberal elements of the involved parties would sometimes refer to Washington's Army as 'our army.'
Excellent work Drach.
Slavers: We're going fly a flag of another country so British ships can't search us without it being an act of war against yet another country.
Royal Navy: Jokes on you I'm into that shit.
There are still parts of the world where slavery is still in effect.
All Muslim, as the Koran encourages enslavement of unbelievers
Indentured servitude and forced child labor due to immense poverty? Yes. Rich barons _literally_ owning and selling human beings in a global market? Not to my knowledge...
@@Sky_Guy Yes. Literal, old-fashioned, "you're my property" slavery. All in Muslim countries, all not in all Muslim countries.
@@Sky_Guy "Indentured servitude and forced child labor due to immense poverty" - but who do you think creates the economic conditions under which that servitude and poverty thrive, and who benefits from if most? You could start with certain multi-nationals....
@@thomaszaccone3960 The bible encourages genocide and does not oppose slavery also, perhaps it is best not to get moral lessons from such books?
Could you revoice the hms hood? Thanks!
Great video, well covered. We need more space to discuss difficult topics. History is complicated, not just good or bad. Well done.
I really enjoy your channel and I do realize that this is about naval actions but I find it would be remiss of me if I did not mention and say hooray William Wilberforce God bless that man
I visited Freetown Sierra Leone, Back in 1981, while wandering around Freetown, I found a brass plaque under a big old tree.
Which commemorated the spot under this particular tree in the centre of Freetown as the location where slaves freed by the RN would be released.
It didn’t matter where they had been enslaved, they were all released at this location, most would never find their way home. The population of Freetown and Sierra Leon being a cosmopolitan mix of indigenous people and freed slaves from all over west Africa.
At the time I was there it was a peaceful friendly place, a few years latter Sierra Leon descended into the violence and civil war associated with the blood diamond trade.
My son has stopped talking to me because I believe that we should be proud of Britain's efforts to end the slave trade. He is awash with hatred of his country because of our part in the slave trade prior to this.
Thank you for the clear story of this RN operation.