Some general notes to assist students; social policy analysts; social scientists interested in the contribution made by the British in the formation of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Some basic assumptions that historical acceptance by descendants of the slave heritage can be achieved by "moving on" fails to take into account the belief that this system of exploitation was a crime against humanity. Healing is needed by offering a process of Reparatory Justice..

1. THE ORIGIN OF NEGRO SLAVERY
Presented by Dr. Blaine Gideon Robin
4th October 2015
4 October 2015
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2. The inspirational Dr. Eric Williams (b. 1911 d. 1981) was
the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1962 until
his death in 1981. He was also a successful
academic/historian. The title of this note : “ The origin of
Negro Slavery [sic]” is the title of chapter one of his
book: Capitalism and Slavery in 1964 with 8 editions that
followed I purchased my copy of the 8th edition in 1989.
4 October 2015
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3. The opening salvo of this chapter demonstrates how important the
discoveries of the West Indies and Africa by Christopher Columbus
would be to Europe.
Today's drive for a Reparatory Justice System
(http://www.leighday.co.uk/News/2014/March-2014/CARICOM-
nations-unanimously-approve-10-point-plan)
by the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) holds
no less significance due to the wheels set in motion by Christopher
Columbus of Spain and the initial role played by the Catholic church.
Ref: https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-
instant&rlz=1C1FERN_enGB623GB623&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
8#q=crjp+%E2%80%9CReparatory+Justice+System%E2%80%9D
4 October 2015
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4. He states: He (Columbus) set in train the long and bitter
international rivalry over colonial possessions for which, after four
and a half centuries, no solution has yet been found. Spain and
Portugal looked to the Pope (in Rome, Italy).
‘ After carefully sifting the rival claims, the Pope issued in 1493 a
series of papal bulls which established a line of demarcation
between the colonial possessions of the two states: The East went
to Portugal and the West went to Spain’ (Williams 1989 p 3).
Although via a treaty of Tordesillas rectified the papal
judgements granting ownership of Brazil to the Portuguese.
4 October 2015
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5. Denmark - did not recognise the Popes rulings as legitimate.
Denmark became rulers of what we know today as the US
Virgin Islands.
England too did not recognise the Popes rulings as
legitimate. For them there was a “gold rush” for new lands : ‘
Sir William Cecil.....denied the Popes right “to give and take
kingdoms to whomsoever he pleased. In 1580 the English
government countered with the principle of effective
occupation as determinant of sovereignty’ (William 1989 p3).
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6. Countless conflict and wars between Britain, Spain and
Holland emerged for the Iberian Axis [sic] and a place in
the sun.
‘ The Negro, too was to have his place, though he did
not ask for it: it was the broiling sun of the sugar,
tobacco, and cotton plantations of the New World ’
(William 1989 p4).
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7. Today - Unlike France, England/Great Britain is not ready to
recognise the Holocaust to Africans as a result of the
transatlantic slave trade and the near extermination of the
indigenous West Indians. This is officially known as a crime
against humanity.
Many of the indigenous British commentators (journalists,
bloggers etc.) cite that this happened centuries ago and that
the descendants of that economic system should just "move on"
without giving any explicit details of what "moving on" really
means. Back in the day, we (British born West Indians) used to
call this style of communication : "Head Top".
4 October 2015
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8. “Move on” has been probably been tested by contemporary
politicians ( through marketing psychometrics and focus groups)
to determine its essence of acceptance of such phrases. It
signifies many things - particularly that if one does not “move on”
there is a sense of “ownership of the personal tragedy of slavery”.
(When it fact the Reparatory Justice System framework if studied
and used effectively can enable the process to be achieved.
“Move on” has many connotations: “ Move on - negro” (we all
know that in slave times and most latterly in the US Civil Rights
area (Jim Crow Laws [sic] ; South Africa during Apartheid [sic] - if
blacks did not “move on” from congregating in certain places
then they would be water cannoned; beaten; shot ; hanged to
death etc). “ Move on - boy!” is too simplistic and insulting to
people of Slave Heritage/ancestry.
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9. In addition, some dismiss this CARICOM initiative as
ridiculous and equate this to Britain demanding reparations
from Rome for the occupation of Britain centuries ago.
HEAD TOP: Prior the debut of the Transatlantic slave era, the
Romans had already withdrawn from Britain (more than a
thousand years earlier) and England was an established
Christian/God fearing nation - Doing onto the others as ........
The British sadly began to emulate the Roman rulers by
practicing similar strategies in order to achieve global
domination (ironic) up until the mid twentieth century.
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10. The British Empire at one point included ownership of most of
Africa; India ; Sri Lanka and Hong Kong; North America
(including Canada); Central America (Honduras – Belize; most
of the Caribbean & Guyana in South America); Australia and
New Zealand.
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