Why Was The Statue Of Edward Colston So Controversial?

It left out a reference to 12,000 children estimated to have been among those the Royal African Company transported as slaves.

Why did people take down Edward Colston statue?

In closing speeches, defence barristers had argued that the Colston statue – erected in 1895 – had become inappropriate and offensive and that over the years, thousands had signed petitions to have it removed.

What did the Edward Colston statue represent?

The 18ft bronze statue of Colston was built as a memorial to his philanthropic works, and has stood on Colston Avenue in Bristol city centre since 1895. The inscription on the statue read: “Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city.”

How many deaths was Colston responsible for?

During Colston’s involvement with the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692, it is estimated that the company transported over 84,000 African men, women and children to the Caribbean and the rest of the Americas, of whom as many as 19,000 may have died on the journey.

What happened Colston statue?

The statue of Edward Colston was displayed at M Shed from June 2021 to January 2022. A survey formulated by the We Are Bristol History Commission was the focus of the display which asked citizens what should happen to the statue next. The survey has now closed. The statue is now in M Shed’s collection store.

What was Colston famous for?

In 1680 Colston became a member of the Royal African Company which at the time had a monopoly on the slave trade. By 1689 he had risen to become its deputy governor. Slaves bought in West Africa were branded with the company initials RAC, then herded on to ships and plunged into a nightmarish voyage.

How were the Colston 4 found not guilty?

On Wednesday, three men and a woman who helped pull down a monument to the slave trader Edward Colston at a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest were found not guilty by a jury after they successfully argued they had a lawful excuse.

What did the Colston four do?

During the trial in December and January of this year at Bristol crown court, the four defendants variously admitted bringing ropes to the protest and tying them around the neck of the bronze statue, before helping crowds wrench it from its plinth and roll it to Bristol harbour, where it was thrown into the water.

What is the Colston Hall now called?

Bristol Beacon
Bristol Beacon, previously known as Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, management of the hall has been the direct responsibility of Bristol Music Trust.

What was the impact of slavery on Bristol?

Thousands of working people were employed in these processing industries. The profits from the slave trade formed the basis of Bristol’s first banks and literally laid the foundations for some of the city’s finest Georgian architecture (such as Queen Square).

How many slaves were landed in Bristol?

They carried a total of 36,000 slaves from Africa, averaging 494 a ship. In the ten years 1795-1804 London sent out 155 ships to Africa and carried 46,405 slaves. Bristol’s 29 ships sailed from the coast with 10,718 negroes, while Liverpool’s 1,099 vessels carried 332,800.

How much is Colston statue worth?

One of those cleared of criminal damage after the artwork was pulled down tells Sky News its value has increased from £6,000 to about £300,000. The toppled Edward Colston statue could now be worth as much as £300,000 – 50 times higher than its value before it was pulled down.

Why were the Colston 4 cleared?

In particular, they asserted that they had used reasonable force to prevent a crime, on the basis that the ongoing display of the statue with its plaque constituted the display of indecent material contrary to the Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981.

Who are the Colston four?

Milo Ponsford, Sage Willoughby, Jake Skuse and Rhian Graham, collectively known as the Colston Four, pose for a photograph outside Bristol Crown Court where they are being tried in connection with the toppling of a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston during global Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

What did the British do with slaves?

Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade officially began, with royal approval, in 1663. In less than 150 years, Britain was responsible for transporting millions of enslaved Africans to colonies in the Americas, where men, women and children were forced to work on plantations and denied basic rights.

Why did Britain enslave Africa?

The enslavement of Africans was justified in Britain by claiming that they were barbaric savages, without laws or religions, and, according to some ‘observers’ and academics, without even a language; they would acquire civilisation on the plantations.

What did African slaves do in England?

The majority worked in domestic service, both paid and unpaid. Whilst slavery had no legal basis in England, the law was often misinterpreted. Black people previously enslaved in the colonies overseas and then brought to England by their owners, were often still treated as slaves.

How did Vikings treat their female slaves?

Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, an Arab lawyer and diplomat from Baghdad who encountered the men of Scandinavia in his travels, wrote that Vikings treated their female chattel as sex slaves. If a slave died, he added, “they leave him there as food for the dogs and the birds.”

Where did most British slaves come from in Africa?

The vast majority of those who were enslaved and transported in the transatlantic slave trade were people from Central and West Africa that had been sold by other West Africans to Western European slave traders, while others had been captured directly by the slave traders in coastal raids; Europeans gathered and

Who were the first slaves in England?

In 1562 Captain John Hawkins was the first known Englishman to include enslaved Africans in his cargo. Queen Elizabeth approved of his journey, during which he captured 300 Africans. He then sailed across the North Atlantic and exchanged them for hides, ginger and sugar. He returned to London in 1563.

Who pulled down Edward Colston statue?

Jake Skuse 33, Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, and Sage Willoughby, 22, did not dispute the roles they had played in pulling down the statue and throwing it into Bristol harbour during a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest but all denied criminal damage.