The Ugly: We learned that although Liverpool entered the slave trade last after Bristol, London, and others in England, it became the richest, premier, first city of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade industry. It still has the money and buildings to prove it. The addiction for sugar quickly turned into cotton, tobacco and other natural goods from the Americas. Back and forth: Humans shipped west, raw materials shipped east, and finished products shipped back west. Liverpoolian (Liverpudlians, Lerpoolians, Liverpolitans, or Scousers) merchants raked in millions of pounds per trip.
The Beautiful: One of the amazingly good things that resulted from the trade exchanges: The mix of people from all over the world, African, Chinese, Irish, Caribbean have created a beautiful city. Different histories, shared experiences emerged with a new energy, a new way of expressing themselves. From its music scene to its graffiti art, Liverpool holds more than I had imagined.
No comments:
Post a Comment