White Cargo

The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America

By: Don Jordan, Michael Walsh

Narrated by: Roger Clark

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

In the 17th and 18th 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.

©2007 Don Jordan and Michael Walsh (P)2019 Tantor

Should be taught in history classes.

There must be a reason to"hide" this information. I sure don't why. I recommend this book to everyone interested in history.

Educational

I learned a lot from this book. It fills the gaps on the topic of slavery.

Great book!

Everyone should own this book. It show how we are lied to in school about history .

interesting read!

Interesting read that covers a generally overlooked portion of American history. Great info and a lot of research was done for this book!

Great read☺️

The book was great for long car rides and plane rides I would recommend it was truly a favorite and like I said before and awesome read.

WOW!

Amazing lost history. Great knowledge about lost slaves other than the Africans. Great read for history buffs.

fascinating history

fascinating history that I've never read/heard before and should be listed in the history classes taught in primary schools in the united states.
points deducted for introduction.
so America was also like Australia with England dumping its convicts?? who knew!!

I didn't like the narrator

Eye opener about how the Irish and young of Britain were sentenced to the "new land" (US), kidnapped and or sold as indentured slaves in the 17th and 18th century. This was before slaves were brought from Africa. Many were children and woman. Street urchins, homeless and criminals were all game to be sent on these slave ships. Sadly, many died on the voyage. Many died from just the hard work they did for their new masters. The people taking them on the ships were getting rich by not only money but by land!
I did not care for the narrator of this book. The voice was very boring to me.
I was bored in several sections but this on the whole was interesting.

Indentured Servitude is a false term.

Schools do not do it justice. I recall it being skimmed over as teachers raced to spend a gracious amount of time on African Slavery. Therefore, for indentured servitude, I imagined a 9-5 job for a locked in set of years, decent living standards, proper clothes, decent food, etc... I could not have been more wrong.

There was mass kidnapping, law modification/abuse to create "convicts," land theft, forced vagrancy, forced labor, beatings/whippings, agreement abuse, high death rate, etc. Most indentured servants never lived long enough to see their freedom due to the harsh conditions; slaves were more expensive and considered a life investment, therefore treated better. Indentured servitude was even referred to as a "delayed death sentence." Even the recorded laws refer to them as chattel.

Besides, if you slept amongst the slaves, ate with the slaves, worked alongside the slaves, got beat just like the slaves, and your master could add years to your service on a whim... what makes you any different from the slaves?

"Indentured Servitude," the lie, has been told far too long and these poor souls deserve to have the truth told.

Wow learned a lot!

Well documented and well presented information and I like the narrator as well. A totally pleasurable experience and data everyone should have.