In 1652, Cromwell instigated the Ethnic Cleansing of Ireland. He demanded that all Irish people were to resettle west of the Shannon, in arid, uninhabitable land, or be transported to the West Indies. The Irish refused to relocate peaceably, for the most part, since they couldnt survive if they did. A law, published in 1657, read: Those who fail to transplant themselves into Connaught (Irelands Western Province) or (County) Clare within six months... Shall be attained of high treason... Are to be sent into America or some other parts beyond the seas... Any who attempted to return would suffer the pains of death as felons by virtue of this act, without benefit of Clergy. The soldiers were encouraged to kill the Irish who refused to move; it was certainly not considered a crime. But the slave trade was so profitable that it was much more lucrative to round them up and sell them. Gangs went out to fill quotas by capturing whoever came across their path; they were so industrious that they accidentally captured a number of French and English and several thousand Scots in the process. By Cromwells death, at least 100,000 Irish men, women, and children had been sold in the West Indies, Virginia, and New England. While most were sold to the sugar planters in Barbados, Jamaica and throughout the West Indies, some writers assert that at least 20,000 were sold to the American colonies. The earliest record of Irish slaves in America was in 1620, with the arrival of 200 slaves. Most of the documentation, however, comes from the West Indies. rhettaakamatsu/irishslaves.htm
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 03:55:35 +0000
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