-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 5:04 PM To: [email protected] Subject: FW: Bicentenary of Abolition of the Slave Trade Hi Tony Well this is a rich topic....How many men from Aberdeenshire made it in commerce either from locations on West Indian islands or via a wharf in Scotland.....or a coffee house in London, Bristol, etc...... to conduct any form of overwater commerce would interface with "the peculiar institution" regardless of direct interest in the Guinea trade..... The pages of Oliver's "History of Antigua" are filled with correspondence between Scots networking to achieve some form of economic security and social status. On Antigua Scots (plenty from Aberdeenshire) were particularly successful between 1690 and 1820; so too in Jamaica. There are numerous and well written books on the topic and I'm sure David Dobson who has studied Scottish migration so long and so well has a few things to say here. It is an odd thing this notion that people could somehow avoid involvement with slavery while active in trade....it was the world economy....based on money and goods moving around like they had never done before. You either dove into it and got along with it or you lingered unto death.....this indeed is the likely source of all the denial! It gave the mills of Bristol something to make cloth for. It created a market for iron bars, and ready iron traded on the Guinea Coast facilitated African forms of manufacturing. It wasn't just rum and slaves and sugar.... Saltfish from New England and Nova Scotia, white oak for barrel staves from the carolinas, beef, mutton and grain from Ireland (and Scotland) Molasses to New England for timber and provisions. Malagueta pepper from Africa (the original trade item of great importance by the way) Horses nails, "pipes" of madeira.... tools to build and clear the "American plantations" Coffee, Sugar, potatoes,pigments(logwood) new sources of starch such as arrowroot from St Vincent and Jamaica, long staple cottons (sea island species) machinery for the mills, the sheer dimension of it is lost while mourning the facts and fictions of the cruel traffic in humans which became the primary means to "open up" and kick start the machine. Anyway the Scots made many contributions, many noteworthy and some by our standards now appalling. Everybody had a piece of it, even the tradesmen in port towns who took small shares in a local ship to improve their chance of a little wealth. Little known fact not quite pertinent to your topic: Scots built a golf course at Bance Island on the African Coast in the 1700's! Anyway this is a rich vein and I think a survey of research on those active in the West Indies trade with roots in Aberdeenshire will prove quite surprising to your correspondent. And the emphasis on "direct" links to slavery is moot. The Atlantic exchange though not always equally beneficial to all parties (in the long run) existed out of mutual self-interest and was conducted between "equals" until later in the 1840's or so when the Europeans achieved technological superiority in warfare and Africa had exhausted itself by war, raiding, and an undetermined degree of internal resistance to the trade. The "wealth" generated on the african side did not build infrastructure or trade capacity in other things.... European Mercantilist policy certainly discouraged that development, as it tried to do in the Americas....but Europeans traded with African counterparts and held locations along the coast via leases granted by Kings and Chiefdoms. Most brokerage on the coast was african or euro=african. There are plenty of historical instances where african trading partners made clear who was in charge and plenty of Europeans died as a result. But much more was traded than rum and slaves....or guns and slaves as it really came to be. Links between the new Scots merchants in the Americas, England and Scotland were assiduously cultured and propagated. Successful Scots knew that to succeed they had to get real money "out" of the plantation system and often invested it "back" into Scottish real estate and development ventures. Their cousins served as their factors at home, or started branch offices etc..... That stimulus was felt in places where there was not the remotest need for slaves or African goods. But there was good pepper on their mutton and cheap sugar for their coffee. There were rare fruit at "affordable" prices. Pickled Ginger, etc... it changed the world period. It probably improved the quality of the Scotch.... Anyway the final book is not yet written. The lesson is not over. And it is tragic so many died that we may learn it. Cod From: [email protected] Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:15:00 +0000 To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Bicentenary of Abolition of the Slave Trade Tony, Thanks for your informative e-mail, I will give it some thought. The project that I am pursuing is very much based on the African experience of slavery; of the great Diaspora that occurred between the 17th and 19th centuries. My probelm is making this relevant to the North-east of Scotland, where there appears to have been little DIRECT link with slavery. There are a number of colourful stories/histories from this part of Scotland relating to 'Slavery, The Abolition Of' such as the life of Indian Peter and that of John Ross, but though these are extraordinary, they relate to European not African personages. Any ideas? David Atherton Arts Education Officer (Creative Links) Aberdeenshire Council Education, Learning & Leisure Woodhill House, Westburn Road Aberdeen AB16 5GB Tel. 01224 665363 Mob. 07795 224044 Email. [email protected] Web. www.aberdeenshirearts.org.uk **************************************************************************** ******** This e-mail may contain privileged information intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please accept our apologies and notify the sender, deleting the e-mail afterwards. 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One of the greatest success stories of Scots in the New World was the Innerarity brothers from Scotland. They did trade all through the West Indies and Southern United States. They founded Pensecola, was prominent in Tennesse and many other states. They were involved in the Louisiana Purchase, the sale of Florida to the U. S. They were instigaters of many Indian uprisings. They had extensive holdings in Cuba. At one time, they sued the U. S. government for over a million acres of land. They were such an integral part of southern U. S. history, that many of the southern universities have libraries full of Innerarity document and histories. They are little known nowadays but the Innerarity clan is reuniting and discovering themselves. A monumental feat of genealogy by Nedra Innerarity Cramer, have brought thousands of Innerarity relatives together, some as far away as Turkey and Australia. I have a copy of an authentic bill of sale that records when one of my Innerarity ancestors sold two teenage boys. It is a very sad document to read but it testifies to the fact that Scots did sell and but slaves. Tony Figueroa --- "C.M. Codrington" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of [email protected] > Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 5:04 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: FW: Bicentenary of Abolition of the Slave > Trade > > > > > Hi Tony > > Well this is a rich topic....How many men from > Aberdeenshire made it in > commerce either from locations on West Indian > islands or via a wharf in > Scotland.....or a coffee house in London, Bristol, > etc...... to conduct any > form of overwater commerce would interface with "the > peculiar institution" > regardless of direct interest in the Guinea > trade..... The pages of Oliver's > "History of Antigua" are filled with correspondence > between Scots networking > to achieve some form of economic security and social > status. On Antigua > Scots (plenty from Aberdeenshire) were particularly > successful between 1690 > and 1820; so too in Jamaica. There are numerous and > well written books on > the topic and I'm sure David Dobson who has studied > Scottish migration so > long and so well has a few things to say here. > > It is an odd thing this notion that people could > somehow avoid involvement > with slavery while active in trade....it was the > world economy....based on > money and goods moving around like they had never > done before. You either > dove into it and got along with it or you lingered > unto death.....this > indeed is the likely source of all the denial! > > It gave the mills of Bristol something to make > cloth for. It created a > market for iron bars, and ready iron traded on the > Guinea Coast facilitated > African forms of manufacturing. It wasn't just rum > and slaves and sugar.... > > Saltfish from New England and Nova Scotia, white > oak for barrel staves from > the carolinas, beef, mutton and grain from Ireland > (and Scotland) Molasses > to New England for timber and provisions. Malagueta > pepper from Africa (the > original trade item of great importance by the way) > Horses nails, "pipes" of > madeira.... tools to build and clear the "American > plantations" Coffee, > Sugar, potatoes,pigments(logwood) new sources of > starch such as arrowroot > from St Vincent and Jamaica, long staple cottons > (sea island species) > machinery for the mills, the sheer dimension of it > is lost while mourning > the facts and fictions of the cruel traffic in > humans which became the > primary means to "open up" and kick start the > machine. > > Anyway the Scots made many contributions, many > noteworthy and some by our > standards now appalling. Everybody had a piece of > it, even the tradesmen in > port towns who took small shares in a local ship to > improve their chance of > a little wealth. > > Little known fact not quite pertinent to your topic: > Scots built a golf > course at Bance Island on the African Coast in the > 1700's! > > Anyway this is a rich vein and I think a survey of > research on those active > in the West Indies trade with roots in Aberdeenshire > will prove quite > surprising to your correspondent. And the emphasis > on "direct" links to > slavery is moot. The Atlantic exchange though not > always equally beneficial > to all parties (in the long run) existed out of > mutual self-interest and was > conducted between "equals" until later in the 1840's > or so when the > Europeans achieved technological superiority in > warfare and Africa had > exhausted itself by war, raiding, and an > undetermined degree of internal > resistance to the trade. The "wealth" generated on > the african side did not > build infrastructure or trade capacity in other > things.... European > Mercantilist policy certainly discouraged that > development, as it tried to > do in the Americas....but Europeans traded with > African counterparts and > held locations along the coast via leases granted by > Kings and Chiefdoms. > Most brokerage on the coast was african or > euro=african. There are plenty of > historical instances where african trading partners > made clear who was in > charge and plenty of Europeans died as a result. > > But much more was traded than rum and slaves....or > guns and slaves as it > really came to be. Links between the new Scots > merchants in the Americas, > England and Scotland were assiduously cultured and > propagated. Successful > Scots knew that to succeed they had to get real > money "out" of the > plantation system and often invested it "back" into > Scottish real estate and > development ventures. Their cousins served as their > factors at home, or > started branch offices etc..... That stimulus was > felt in places where there > was not the remotest need for slaves or African > goods. But there was good > pepper on their mutton and cheap sugar for their > coffee. There were rare > fruit at "affordable" prices. Pickled Ginger, etc... > it changed the world > period. It probably improved the quality of the > Scotch.... > > Anyway the final book is not yet written. The lesson > is not over. And it is > tragic so many died that we may learn it. > > Cod > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: [email protected] > Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:15:00 +0000 > To: "[email protected]" > <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Bicentenary of Abolition of the Slave > Trade > > Tony, > > Thanks for your informative e-mail, I will give it > some thought. > > The project that I am pursuing is very much based on > the African experience > of slavery; of the great Diaspora that occurred > between the 17th and 19th > centuries. My probelm is making this relevant to > the North-east of > Scotland, where there appears to have been little > DIRECT link with slavery. > > There are a number of colourful stories/histories > from this part of > Scotland relating to 'Slavery, The Abolition Of' > such as the life of Indian > Peter and that of John Ross, but though these are > extraordinary, they > relate to European not African personages. > > Any ideas? > > > David Atherton > Arts Education Officer (Creative Links) > Aberdeenshire Council > Education, Learning & Leisure > Woodhill House, > Westburn Road > === message truncated === ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ