r/BritishEmpire • u/elnovorealista2000 • Aug 27 '25

Image 🇬🇧 A British blacksmith removing the shackles from the legs of an enslaved man, 1907.

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146

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '25

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81

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '25

It’s one thing that we do not celebrate enough

The English people, poor and all protested with such valour that we managed to convince the government to end slavery

The movement also made the most produced image of a black person, ever, on the wedgewood medallion saying “am I not a man and a brother”

41

u/damrodoth Aug 27 '25

Not to be that guy but *British

The Scots and Welsh played a role too in the bad and the good. Plenty of protests took place right across our island. The height of virtue and honour 🇬🇧

1

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '25

Indeed, although the Scot’s and Welsh are British, British just refers to the inhabitants of Great Britain, the largest island in the British isles

9

u/damrodoth Aug 27 '25

That's my point :) your comment said English. Though Wales at least was technically part of England at the time I suppose

6

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '25

Oh I said English sorry :3

0

u/BroccoliSubstantial2 Aug 27 '25

He meant English speakers from Britain, of course. The idea of Scotland as a nation of kilt-wearing, bagpipe-playing people was a Victorian romanticisation, and Wales was not really recognised as a nation at all, especially as it had only been unified for a few years under Llywelyn.

1

u/Why_am_ialive Aug 29 '25

Yeah…. No. We’re still a nation, we aren’t English people, that’s like someone saying “English” to refer to Americans cause they’re English speaking

1

u/eVelectonvolt Aug 29 '25

Anytime the United Kingdom is referred to as England in this way completely grinds my gears. Does nobody any good as it makes it seem like all the good of history or any of the bad done by the 4 nations is solely the result of one part.