White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America Paperback – March 8, 2008

"White Cargo" does a deep historical dive into Colonial American slavery, (indentured servants), for "His Majesty's plantations".For 170 years, (1606 -1776), England meted out this new lucrative reality by ridding itself and neighboring countries of its drunkards, dregs, vagabonds, criminals, and urchins. It's believed that 300,000 Europeans were kidnapped and/or sold a bill of goods, (becoming "free willers"). These “free willers” contracted for oceanic passage to the New World by agreeing to indentured service for a promising future.Approximately half would never survive their bondage. Indentured servants generally had a 7 - 14 year contract to toil away on the plantations. The multitudes that were "spirited away", (shanghaied), to America were routinely treated like animals with beatings, whippings, neck irons etc. Of course the "free willers" had no clue of the horrors that awaited them. They believed that America was the land of opportunity and as such would enjoy a prosperous, comfortable life, (once they paid for their passage via laboring in the fields). Nothing was further from the truth.England referred to indentured servants as "chattels" and as such became the property of their new owner/master.The first chattels (slaves) in Colonial America were white Europeans. A majority initially consisted of convicts from England and then a surge of Irish Catholics were "spirited away" to make room in Ireland for the burgeoning British and Scottish Protestant populations. Two days after the American Revolutionary War began the trafficking of white human cargo ended. King George III eventually settled at sending his miscreants and convicts to Australia and New Zealand, circa 1820.Public education in the USA sanitized this cruel chapter in its pernicious beginnings. It's too bad -- as we generally learn from our past. But when history is whitewashed, (no pun intended), then no one is the wiser. As the saying goes, "ignorance is bliss".

I listen to this book on Audible, most excellent. I then brought the paperback book for my sister, she found it to very enlightening. Real history that is not taught in our schools but should be!

My interest originally was piqued when through genealogy study I found many of my early ancestors came to America as indentured servants... and even later brought over their own. I wanted to understand what this meant - "indentured servants." What a surprise! This book really lays out the sordid past we hear nothing about in American History Class. I was shocked at the evidence that many of our "reputable" founding fathers engaged in the practice. And the fact it went on for close to 175 years clearly points out that it was much more wide-spread than I suspected. This book gives me courage. If more of us realized many of our ancestors were essentially slaves we would have a greater understanding of the plight of the Africans who were indentured for their lifetimes as well as the lifetime of their off-spring. What truly surprised me was the greedy, selfish and hateful men (and women) who essentially imprisoned their own kind, not just those of another race or culture.

This is a scholarly review of slavery practiced in England. Indentured servitude is included as a form of slavery. English, Irish, Scots enslaved each other. This was a form of getting rid of “ undesirables” from even before the colonizing of the New World. Thst it predated the enslavement of Africans was a surprise to me. Good to learn all history.

White Cargo is one of several books dealing with this piece of history that is not taught in public schools. I'm fortunate to have been referred to this work sharing some of the many horrors that took place during those times. This work shares many facts that are not consistent with the history shared by those who have come to North America as colonists, pilgrims, and foreigners.Today many descendants of those colonists, pilgrims and foreigners now refer themselves as Americans who today now refer to the descendants of those who were originally found here by those agents of foreign lands as immigrants and aliens. This work share's a "bird's eye view" of the inner workings of some companies/corporations responsible for the subjugation of their own people's bodies and minds but also that of any other Nation who got in the way of their commercial activity.Honors and thanks to those who took the time and energy to share this information. The subjugation of any people outside of law is a serious crime and has far reaching consequences that can never be erased by those who have re-written history. Though this work shares many sad truth's, in doing so it exposes some of the many lies that exists today in the form of history taught to the masses. Salaam.