White cargo : the forgotten history of Britain's White slaves in America

White Cargo is the forgotten story of the thousands of Britons who lived and died in bondage in Britain’s American colonies. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, more than 300,000 white people were shipped to America as slaves. Urchins were swept up from London’s streets to labor in the tobacco fields, where life expectancy was no more than two years. Brothels were raided to provide “breeders” for Virginia. Hopeful migrants were duped into signing as indentured servants, unaware they would become personal property who could be bought, sold, and even gambled away. Transported convicts were paraded for sale like livestock. Drawing on letters crying for help, diaries, and court and government archives, Don Jordan and Michael Walsh demonstrate that the brutalities usually associated with black slavery alone were perpetrated on whites throughout British rule. The trade ended with American independence, but the British still tried to sell convicts in their former colonies, which prompted one of the most audacious plots in Anglo-American history. This is a saga of exploration and cruelty spanning 170 years that has been submerged under the overwhelming memory of black slavery. White Cargo brings the brutal, uncomfortable story to the surface.

White Cargo is the forgotten story of the thousands of Britons who lived and died in bondage in Britain's American colonies.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, more than 300,000 white people were shipped to America as slaves. Urchins were swept up from London's streets to labor in the tobacco fields, where life expectancy was no more than two years. Brothels were raided to provide 'breeders' for Virginia. Hopeful migrants were duped into signing as indentured servants, unaware they would become personal property who could be bought, sold, and even gambled away. Transported convicts were paraded for sale like livestock.

Drawing on letters crying for help, diaries, and court and government archives, Don Jordan and Michael Walsh demonstrate that the brutalities usually associated with black slavery alone were perpetrated on whites throughout British rule. The trade ended with American independence, but the British still tried to sell convicts in their former colonies, which prompted one of the most audacious plots in Anglo-American history.

This is a saga of exploration and cruelty spanning 170 years that has been submerged under the overwhelming memory of black slavery. White Cargo brings the brutal, uncomfortable story to the surface.

The New York Times - Joyce Hor-Chung Lau

This vividly written book tells the tale from both sides of the Atlantic. Its condemnation is aimed at both American planters and the English elite, who were blinded by greed, arrogance and a desire to get rid of their "society's sweepings"…White Cargo is meticulously sourced and footnoted—which is wise, given its contentious material—but it is never dry or academic. Quotations from 17th- and 18th-century letters, diaries and newspapers lend authenticity as well as color. Excerpts from wills, stating how white servants should be passed down along with livestock and furniture, say more than any textbook explanation could. The authors are not only historians, but also natural storytellers with a fine sense of drama and character.

White Cargo is the forgotten story of the thousands of Britons who lived and died in bondage in Britain s American colonies. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, more than 300,000 white people were shipped to America as slaves. Urchins were swept up from London streets to labor in the tobacco fields, where life expectancy was no more than two years. Brothels were raided to provide breeders for Virginia. Hopeful migrants were duped into signing as indentured servants, unaware they would become personal property who could be bought, sold, and even gambled away. Transported convicts were paraded for sale like livestock. Drawing on letters crying for help, diaries, and court and government archives, Don Jordan and Michael Walsh demonstrate that the brutalities usually associated with black slavery alone were perpetrated on whites throughout British rule. The trade ended with American independence, but the British still tried to sell convicts in their former colonies, which prompted one of the most audacious plots in Anglo-American history. This is a saga of exploration and cruelty spanning 170 years that has been submerged under the overwhelming memory of black slavery. White Cargo brings the brutal, uncomfortable story to the surface. Contents......Page 6 Introduction: In the Shadow of the Myth......Page 12 A Place for the Unwanted......Page 22 The Judge's Deam......Page 34 The Merchant Prince......Page 48 Children of the City......Page 76 The Jagged Edge......Page 90 'They Are Not Dogs'......Page 100 The People Trade......Page 114 Spirited Away......Page 128 Foreigners in Their Own Land......Page 138 Dissent in the North......Page 156 The Planter from Angola......Page 170 'Barbadosed'......Page 178 The Grandees......Page 194 Bacon's Rebellion......Page 206 Queen Anne's Golden Book......Page 214 Disunity in the Union......Page 228 Lost and Found......Page 234 'His Majesty's Seven-Year Passengers'......Page 248 The Last Hurrah......Page 272 Notes......Page 284 Select Bibliography......Page 302 Index......Page 314 Thousands Of Britons Lived And Died In Bondage In Britain's American Colonies. In The Shadow Of The Myth -- A Place For The Unwanted -- The Judge's Dream -- The Merchant Prince -- Children Of The City -- The Jagged Edge -- They Are Not Dogs -- The People Trade -- Spirited Away -- Foreigners In Their Own Land -- Dissent In The North -- The Planter From Angola -- Barbadosed -- The Grandees -- Bacon's Rebellion -- Queen Anne's Golden Book -- Disunity In The Union -- Lost And Found -- His Majesty's Seven-year Passengers -- The Last Hurrah. Don Jordan And Michael Walsh. First Published: Edinburgh : Mainstream Pub., C2007. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 301-312) And Index. NYU Press Contents 6 Introduction: In the Shadow of the Myth 12 A Place for the Unwanted 22 The Judge's Deam 34 The Merchant Prince 48 Children of the City 76 The Jagged Edge 90 'They Are Not Dogs' 100 The People Trade 114 Spirited Away 128 Foreigners in Their Own Land 138 Dissent in the North 156 The Planter from Angola 170 'Barbadosed' 178 The Grandees 194 Bacon's Rebellion 206 Queen Anne's Golden Book 214 Disunity in the Union 228 Lost and Found 234 'His Majesty's Seven-Year Passengers' 248 The Last Hurrah 272 Notes 284 Select Bibliography 302 Index 314 ISBN-13:,9780814742969 A saga of exploration and cruelty spanning one hundred and seventy years tells the story of the more than three hundred thousand white people who lived and died as slaves and indentured servants in Britain's American colonies. Original.