Between the 16th and the 19th centuries, approximately 15 million people were violently removed from Africa and transported to the Americas. Those who survived the ‘middle passage’ across the Atlantic (and their successors) were subsequently enslaved and, for the most part, forced to work on tobacco, sugar, and cotton plantations, producing goods for European markets.
The British Empire played a particularly prominent role in this trade, and slavery endured in Britain’s colonies officially until emancipation in 1834 (in fact, in practice, the institution often survived, albeit under a different name). In December 2007, the United Nations designated the 25th of March as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, not only to raise awareness about these historical crimes against humanity, but also to draw attention to racism and prejudice in the world today.
Accordingly, it is more important than ever to confront and learn from Britain’s imperial past.