The Library Kids : American Civil War, White Irish Slaves, and Arab Slave Trade

Thursday, June 7, 2012

American Civil War, White Irish Slaves, and Arab Slave Trade

My great-great-grandfather Fridolin Benzinger who was in the American Civil War on the Union Side

My great-great-grandfather who was German served in the Army during the American Civil War. Life was very tough back then. Women died easily from child birth related issues. My grandfather had three wives because the first two died, all though he had many children. Most people know that the North American Slave trade was a horrible thing. We are taught today about the horrors inflicted on the Blacks who were sold (often times by other Blacks) from Africa to slave companies and they had to endure the horrors of the trip over to America only to be sold into the horrible institution of slavery. The Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment ended slavery.

I wrote about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War in my 4th book, The Library Kids Talking Stones. But most people have never heard about the Irish slaves as well as the Arab Slave Trade. I wrote about these horrible atrocities in my 5th book, The Library Kids-Princess of Tara. Even though these are tough subjects, I wrote about them in a manner that is appropriate for children without getting too graphic. I believe these are important subjects that should be learned about during the school years as the Civil War and history of North American Slavery are taught in grammar school.

It amazes me that most schools never even teach or talk about the fact that during the 1600s, the slave that was brought to America was the Irish slave and the British orphan or criminal slave. The Irish were being exterminated and Cromwell as well as the British King decided it was a good idea to ship the Irish captives to the Colonies to be sold as slaves to Tobacco and Sugar Cane plantations. Most of the slaves were captured women and children. The children were seperated from the mother.

The disgusting institution of slavery was structured to use the white slave to do the hard wark for British plantation owners. The black slave came to America after the white slave was used extensively during the 1600s.

The Arab Slave trade is talked about even less. It was a goal of the Arab Corsair to capture young white boys and girls for harem slaves and black boys and girls for harem slaves as well as use the boys as eunich guards for the harem and soldiers for the Arab. A famous painter named Leone Gerome painted a picture of an unfortunate girl captured and sold at an Arab slave trade. The girl is naked in the picture. I do not want to post this picture as children may view my site, but this picture's link is below.

I have tried to bring attention to this forgotten part of history through my books as I believe attention is needed. Not only did the Irish have to deal with being attacked and sold as slaves, but once slavery was outlawed in America, they were often considered as "non-human" and less than a "dog" and discriminated against. This is a history that needs to be revisted (both Irish Slave Trade and Arab Slave Trade and Irish discrimination in America) so that it is taught as part of the regular curriculum in the schools. "Those that do not know their history are bound to repeat it." I have traced the geneology of my Irish side back to the middle of the 19th century. I do not know if my Irish side came to America as slaves or so-called indentured servants or if they were forced out during the contrived "potato famine" since I cannot find records of when they came to America originally.