Read Part I here. Read Part II here

All members of our human family deserve equal measures of dignity and
respect, after which, is then maintained or forfeited by an individual’s own
actions. The key word here is: “RESPECT” - a word that conjures consideration or thoughtfulness of others, and includes emotions such as: empathy and  understanding. Had this idea been practiced more often, we all might have had a better coexistence with each other and a more peaceful world; whereas, the lack of it promotes unrelenting incivility and global turmoil. 

People of conscience have moral obligation to speak out against any form of
inhumanity, past and present, because societies are not destroyed by the
strength of a few but rather by the spineless indifference of the masses.  But
there are those of us who refuse to even turn the pages of a book; we tend to
rely on the sanitized versions of a history that was written by the perpetrators themselves and spoon-fed to us in school.  We mindlessly absorb everything by rote and, consequently, most of us are sadly lacking in this respect. Many of us are having great difficulties overcoming years of bad indoctrination and misinformation, or simply don’t have the stomach to deal with some of the disconcerting facts of history; while, naturally, those who benefited from these past misdeeds have no problems with the status quo.

The inconvenient truth is that our state of ignorance is not the result of a lack of information, but rather, apathy. History is more than time and place. It allows us to “think critically” about the greatest question humanity has ever asked: WHY? And one can finish the question any way one wants. 
 
From my perspective as a Jamaican who happens to be a Humanist, I can
understand the lack of interest that some people are exhibiting where things of this period of history is concerned. I too have no desire to lionize these
Georgians, nor to glorify a period of such gross avariciousness and  moral
indifference, that such evil atrocities could so willfully be devised to cause
so much anguish and desolation to so many of our fellow-human beings for the purpose of creating their own selfish grandeur. 

Nevertheless, I propose that, as we do the immorality of imperialism and
the barbarity of piracy, which eventually waned to facilitate the more lucrative agrarian brutal slave/master’s way of life, we should also recognize and appreciate the significance of preserving the memory of this colonial epoch and all its salient remnants as an indelible part of our past, and a decisive and influential component of our nation’s evolution. History should be accepted for what it is; not what we would like it to be. 

The Georgian Society of Jamaica mission statement is as follows: 
"We are committed to the preservation, restoration and maintenance of
Jamaica's historic buildings, monuments, artifacts, works of art, furniture and fixtures particularly those belonging to the Georgian Period (1720 - 1850) to causing where possible legislation to be enacted, rescinded or altered to enable those things to be accomplished and to stimulate interest in and promoting our appreciation of the value of Jamaica's heritage." 

As a member of the St James branch; I can honestly say that the committee
of this organization, under the enthusiastic direction of our president: Mrs.
Trina Delisser; is genuinely dedicated to this project, because we consider it
incumbent on ourselves to do all that is possible to hold on to all tangible
material manifestations of this momentous past, which is intricately woven into the fabric of our history.
 
Among our varied endeavors are: informative organized trips, walk-a-bouts
and a variety of cultural events that are specifically structured to raise funds
and awareness. This also includes an annual Georgian ball which is held in a
great house estate in order to dramatically revive the period; complete with
17th to18th century inspired costumes, music, dances that are appropriate to the sensibilities that were unique to our island, in an effort to give today’s
generation a visual glimpse of what was once a part of our eclectic Jamaican
experience. 

All vestiges of our past, however imperfect, serve as vital evidences of how we as a nation became the way we are, and therefore ought to be embraced as “legacy,” and an integral part of our rich Jamaican heritage.

I invite you to share your thoughts by clicking on "add comment" below the Tweet button at the end of this post. If you are new to this blog please
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Guest Blogger, Nerissa Braimbridge is a Jamaican born; former business woman,
who was awarded Woman of the Year, 1975, in the new business idea field, by the  Multi-Occupational Society of Manhattan, NYC. Named International Woman of the  Year, 1995/96 - in recognition of her services to the business world, by IBC,  Cambridge, England, and listed in the 6th edition of Personalities of America -  for Services in Arts and Communications by ABI, USA. Mrs. Braimbridge is world  traveled, and World Cultures and Humanities are her passion and interests. She  may be contacted via email. 

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 ** Note:  The views expressed by all of our guest bloggers are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Georgian Society of Jamaica

Part II: Transgressions 
 
  The slavery phenomenon has a long, varied and in-depth global history; so for this particular narrative, let me just briefly explain that the European  empires started to expand into the New World in the 15th century, but they lacked one major resource - a work force.

In most cases the indigenous (native)  peoples of the new colonies had proved unreliable (most of them were dying from ill-treatment and diseases brought over from Europe), and Europeans, who were unsuited to the climate, suffered under tropical diseases. Africans, on the  other hand, were strong, excellent workers. They often had experience of agriculture and keeping cattle; they were used to a tropical climate, resistant to tropical diseases, and so, could be “worked very hard.” 

The Portuguese first embarked on the slave trade with West Africa, and for two hundred years, 1440-1640, had a monopoly on the enterprise (it is notable that they were also the last European country to abolish the institution). By the 16th century, Western Europeans had developed an organized system of trading slaves, now known as “The Transatlantic Slave Trade” - a shameful episode of  human history, when certain covetous and unscrupulous groups preyed upon, and  exploited their fellowmen for their own personal enrichment.  It was during  this time that racial discrimination and other mechanisms of oppression were
conceived and formulated.

The concept of biological “races” is absolutely absurd to any scientifically informed person who now knows that the human family is a single species, but most of us were ignorant of what we know today. Even so, in earlier times in Europe, the major question and concern was whether one was a Christian or a Heretic. “Race” was never an issue before the 16th century;
it developed as a social construct, to which the misconstrued biblical myth of  “Ham’s Curse” was added as reinforcement, during European’s aggressive invasions into other people’s countries, as they sought to degrade the natives in order to set themselves up as superior conquerors. 

Among other shrewd maneuvers and devious strategies was the idea of an alleged divine mandate referred to as:  “Manifest Destiny” while bearing the so-called: “White Man's Burden.”  This was expressed with the bible in one hand; ostensibly saving the heathen souls of  the colonized peoples of color, while the other hand was busy grabbing lands and  resources everywhere they went; for the most part, to get their share of the spoils of imperialism and conquest. 

 By the 18th century, the Georgians had embarked on the profitable Transatlantic Slave Trade, which peaked and grew rapidly, making the island of Jamaica one of Britain’s most valuable possessions for more than 150 years, and enabled many colonists, who came to the island as “nobodies” to return to England to live as rich, respectable gentries of importance. The   profits gained from this most undignified form of human subjugation also helped  to finance the Industrial Revolution. This Slave Trade was controlled by a small  group of wealthy planters and merchants who had great political power, which  they used to fight those who opposed it.  

Eventually, the practice of slavery in the British Empire was abolished on August 1, 1834; thanks to the work of reformers such as William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson and many other decent persons of conscience.

One of the ironies  of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act was that it was the slave owners, not the
slaves, who were compensated at the emancipation of slaves. The Anglican Church (the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG) – today the world's oldest Anglican mission - owned the 800 acre Codrington slave plantation on the Island of Barbados in the 18th and 19th centuries) received 8,823 pounds sterling in compensation for its loss of over 400 slaves. The Bishop of Exeter, along with three of his colleagues received some 13,000 pounds in compensation  for over 660 slaves.

Incidentally, when the slave trade accounted for the transport of a staggering 6 million Africans, not counting the millions lost at sea, Britain was the worst transgressor - responsible for almost 2.5 million. This is a fact that is often forgotten by those who regularly cite Britain's prime role in the abolition of the slave trade. Also, bear in mind that there has never been an
official apology for the injustices of slavery and its aftermath - a necessary requirement for the ruptured souls of this faction of humanity to heal.

The  effect of all these evil transgressions engendered dangerous neurotic cascades of reverberating negative dispositions and thinking among humanity around the world…that is further perpetuated through the generations. The collective psychological and material damages, especially to the grossly disenfranchised, was, and continues to be, horrific, but as Thomas Jefferson (American 3rd US President (1801-09) said: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

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 Guest Blogger, Nerissa Braimbridge is a Jamaican born; former business woman, who was awarded Woman of the Year, 1975, in the new business idea field, by the  Multi-Occupational Society of Manhattan, NYC. Named International Woman of the  Year, 1995/96 - in recognition of her services to the business world, by IBC,  Cambridge, England, and listed in the 6th edition of Personalities of America -  for Services in Arts and Communications by ABI, USA. Mrs. Braimbridge is world  traveled, and World Cultures and Humanities are her passion and interests. She  may be contacted via email. 

 
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