Patriotism
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Patriotism n.
Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson’s famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit it is the first.
Ambrose BierceRelatively recently, there was a news-story about a man who died from his injuries after falling from a lamp-post while attempting to put an English flag at the top of it.
Nationalism kills.
The Maoists in some countries used to confront the police and the military, who were carrying guns, to pick up the communist flag of China; several were killed
When the drivel “Rule Britannia” (“Britons never will be slaves”) was written, British children were being rounded up in Britain and sold to the colonies as slaves for 900 lbs of cotton per child.
Google:
Yes, the historical practice of kidnapping street children and sending them to colonies for forced labor did occur, primarily from Britain and Ireland to the Americas and later Australia and Canada, spanning from the 17th century well into the 20th century.
Historical Context
Motivation: The practice served a dual purpose: to relieve the strain on the welfare system and workhouses in Britain and to provide cheap labor for the colonies. Colonial authorities and merchants often actively encouraged the trade.
Methods: Some children were officially transported by city authorities or charities, sometimes with their parents being misled or coerced into giving consent. Others were simply abducted from the streets by gangs of kidnappers, known as “spirits”.
Destinations and Conditions: Children were sent to various colonies, including the Virginia Colony, Maryland, the West Indies, Canada, and Australia. Upon arrival, they were often sold into indentured servitude, where many faced harsh conditions, abuse, and hard labor.
Timeline: The earliest recorded instance of this official transportation was in 1618, when 100 children were sent from London to Virginia. The practice continued under various schemes (like the “Home Children” program) until the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Victims: It was often falsely claimed that all the children were orphans, but it is now known that most had living parents who were often unaware of their children’s true fate.Scots, Irish and Scottish Highlanders captured by parliamentary forces in the Civil War were transported (sometimes straight from the battlefield) via Bristol and other collection points to the West Indies as slaves.
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