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“People will always find a convoluted way to justify a morally indefensible position if it’s convenient for them to do so.” Good god, man! This is quickly becoming one my of favorite KZfaq channels.

"Power never concedes without a demand, it never has and it never will." ~ Frederick Douglass

Isn’t this the whole point of studying History? To be challenged to do better than our predecessors? This was a particularly powerful one Bruce. Thank you.

I’m descended from Scottish Covenanters who decided to exclude members who were slave owners. My ancestors moved from the US south to the north and congregated with others in western PA/eastern OH, some of whom were active in the Underground Railroad. I had never realized Frederick Douglas went to Scotland. What an incredible man!

I'll probably catch some flak for this, but as a black man... You've peaked my interest in Scottish history even b4 I watched this video.. This one's definitely the cherry on top.. Excellent job good sir.. 👍🏿💯

Thank you! My great great grandfather was an elder in the Presbyterian Church in Kintyre in the early 1850s. He joined the Free Church, and it was one of the reasons he and his family emigrated to Canada. I had just begun to understand the religious angle, and now you have opened up all these other injustices. I want to learn more. Thank you!

You're a bloody good storyteller brother, casually brushing aside all the egocentric bleating.

“It’s not a judgement on our past. It’s a question to help us plan for our future.” Awesome! Going to say this to my 8th grade US History students.

Thank you for covering all the bases and questioning all viewpoints in the light of Human Nature. "What would each of us have done - really - is food for introspection. My already high esteem for you went even higher today. Once again, Bruce; Thank you.

Always, we need a reminder to look inward. Keep posting. Your videos make me think about my own history.

My great great grandfather was a Church of Scotland missionary with David Livingstone and was an abonishionalist . He died in Africa and was buried next to Livingstone's wife. Once the Church heard of his demise they turned his widow and family out into the street.

Very interesting conversations at Thanksgiving and Christmas between my presbyterian(Scottish)and Catholic(Irish)families. I can tell you that!! A couple scotches and everyone calmed down! 😆

You Sir, are a breath of fresh air!! I love that you question rationale and shake my moral compass to consider my actions more thoroughly. Excellent!!! 👏👏🥰

Wow...heavy.....! Rreally liked it. more please about black scottih history please. We are learning so much from you. Thank you.

I only found my way to these videos you post yesterday, much to my disappointment that they took so long to show up on what KZfaq thinks I should see. I may be a white southern Englishman, but I've honestly gone from thinking simply that these videos you post are amazingly written and presented, to a feeling of, ‘this is a man I would vote for to lead Britain out of its current shameful situation’. Your way with words is a pure joy to listen to and to learn from. Your comments on the reality of a situation when people claim all lives matter struck deep into the heart. Thank you for such a beautiful presentation of history here.

“People will always find a convoluted way to justify a morally indefensible position if it’s convenient for them to do so.” Good god, man! This is quickly becoming one my of favorite KZfaq channels. BTW, “woke” was a compliment that was perverted *by individuals who would adhere a aforementioned philosophical practice that I quoted from your video.

Thanks Bruce. I wish I had learned more about Scottish history at school. Glad my brother found this channel and pointed it out to me.

I am a new subscriber from America. this is a powerful video about the slave trade and it affects everyone to this day. thank you for this!

Thank you Bruce. I've been looking into my who and where my ancestors came from and where they went. I found that my ancestors was deported from Scotland to Antigua into slavery. I live in southern England after my parents come back in the Windrush years. Thank you for filling in some gaps. Bless

As a white conservative American Presbyterian (PCA), I appreciate your opinion on the matter. Keep the awesome videos rolling!

This video is so good I am allowing all the ads to run whilst I read the comments. I am part Scottish on my Mum's side (her maiden name is Liddell) and Ulster Scots by marriage- husband born and bred in NI, almost certainly from the Scottish plantation. We live in NW England, but have close relatives in Glasgow (my brother and his Chinese wife). Life is a fascinating mix isn't it!!

One of my all-time favorite stories is from Frederick Douglas's autobiography, where he described tricking the master's children into teaching him the letters by challenging them as to what they knew. When my kids resisted learning to read, I would tell them about how Frederick Douglas risked his life, or at least imprisonment, to learn to read. Such an inspiring man.

Salutations from the States, in particular NYC! Your postings are FANTASTIC and VERY informative. Bumping into your channel is one of the best things to come out of this dreaded pandemic. Thank you and please keep it up.

Wow. Great video Bruce. Learning makes a person knowledgeable, but a person is only intelligent with what they do with that knowledge.

Your work is so important Bruce. I love every video you do. I often include some in my classes as a History Lecturer due to your brilliant way of storytelling. Thank you!

Great video Bruce. The more you learn the less you know.

"So they gave the money back ",,,,,,choked on my roll an cheese !

Thank you, Bruce, for speaking some hard truths. Hope folks really ponder it- Most of us can do better.

I love learning about history. I never knew that Fredrick Douglas traveled to Scotland. I love What to a slave is the 4th of July speech from Fredrick Douglas. James Earl Jones ( my favorite actor) reads it. I always imagine that F.D. has the same dynamic voice as J.E.J. What a powerful speech.

I don’t know how I have never come across you before, but I’m very happy I have. You are an amazing story teller.

That’s one of your best videos mate👍

That's an awesome sermon, Bruce. One worth listening to.

Great video Bruce, really thought provoking.

You've done a very good video here, one of the best I've ever seen on You Tube! You ought to be on Question Time!

Your insight is spot on and your humor is great.

It may seem like an easy question to answer because it's highlighted by today's society, but honestly it would be hard for us to answer when not only was it against the norm, but depending on how far you took it, punishable by law. Not making excuse, but what in today's society will they find morally wrong tomorrow? That being said, the Wesley. Brothers, William Wilberforce, and David Bernard are among a few men from history who I look up to who spoke out against oppressing others. I guess a good litmus test would be "do you stand on your conviction no matter the circumstances or how unpopular?"

Brilliant video, Bruce! The schism is very well- known, but the funding of the first Free Church building is something about I knew hee haw. It’s these wee nuggets, and your fantastic commentary that put your videos head and shoulders above the BBC’s luvvy (we all know who I’m talking about- walks like he’s in an Orange Walk. Don’t believe me? Have a swatch at one of his programmes!) Moran taing 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

My grandparents bought a house in West Chester, PA. It had been built in the early 1740s, part of the Underground Railroad. They obviously didn't have a guest book for who came through, but I wouldn't be surprised if Fredrick Douglas was in that home at some point of his life. It was a beautiful home. I grew up in Maryland, near DC. And, being epileptic, Harriet Tubman, one of his coworkers, inspired me greatly.

It is what it is. Great video, thank you. My dad would have enjoyed this and would love to talk to you about what he told us in the 60's/70's about slavery in relation to US and West Indies, and how it didn't just start there..

Brilliant! Thank you for your thoughtful insight.

You certainly put out a challenge to world views and our roles in those views. Thanks for something to think on Bruce

I so appreciate your and your videos, even when it's not super warm and fluffy. Thank you for your share.

The wind was playing havoc with you're hair but that section under the tower was brilliant. Kudos to the other one with the camera

9:35 “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal then others” Animal farm by George Orwell. Amazing how freedom and outrage follows a similar pattern of care.

Your videos are just getting better! Top drawer

Watching these back films, it just gets better Bruce. Aroha

Wow! Glad I stumbled onto this wee gem of a channel!

Acht there goes ma invite tae tea, Great video as usual Bruce.

Cheers Bruce, great video. If only politicians were more like you.. when and where can I vote for you..? :)

Auchterarder! Long gone now, but one of the best aviation museums in the British Isles was there, Sir William Roberts' Strathallan Collection. At its peak it included examples of all the RAF's "big four" World War II icons: Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito and Lancaster. Among others. The collection was dispersed by auction in the 1980s. Never had any notion of this other history made in the same town.

Frederick was being taught by to read by my ancestor. The story is quite interesting.

its High Time you became more political, I can see which way your emphasis swings and with history showing us what our nation has endured, what a perfect knowledge you have in which to enlighten those who never got taught this. cause we all know history repeats itself and we don't want repetition.

For the record, I enjoy your programme immensely. I've always had an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and this course is feeding that want. My grandmother's family is the Pennants, originally from the Shetland Islands; for some reason, they all left at the same time, around 1850; some went to Liverpool, Australia, and my grandmother ended up in Canada through the programme "British Home Children," in servitude from the ages of 10 to 18; unlike many of the program's cases, however, my grandmother was treated well, and in 1921, at the age of 21, she immigrated to the United States. John Beaumont, my great-great-grandfather, lived in Huddersfield, York, and he owned three sizable parcels of land, yet his will read more like a lease than an indication of ownership. And then there's Lawrence. The Ashton Hall line of the family appeared to be quite prosperous until King Henry the Eighth forcibly confiscated much of their property. Finally, there was the Hawkins family, who remained until 1928, when my great-grandfather, who had been injured in a steel factory accident outside of Middlesborough, died on the kitchen table while doctors attempted to save his life. In short order after that, my grandfather uprooted to New York. Now I'll finally start to understand why the hell the my ancestors would bolted from U.K. And my grandparents make sure I knew I was Protestant..

Fun fact: if Washington, DC gets statehood, the DC will no longer stand for District of Columbia but Douglass Commonwealth. His house in the District is open to the public.

You do good work Bruce.....a man who wears many hats. Thank you

He came to Leeds, Frederick Douglass one of my heroes. Smashing siries this. The compensation paid to slave owners at slave abolition, was money that the government borrowed. That debt was only paid off in 2017. Scotland have made a start at restitution by helping in the fields of education in the Caribbean. More could be done by Britain. We are all benefiting today from slavery. Strongly Recommended is the radio 4 siries ,"DESCENDENTS" dealing with this very subject with a very suppriseing twist. Thank you for posting.

I love you. I'm going through an addiction phase with your videos, and I'm getting worried. Can you speed up? I'm going to run out soon. My favourite historian.

Excellent discussion, very spot on! Thank you!

Always hate how anything educational and Enlightening never get enough views or subs unless their is some action like explosion, fires, crushing, any destruction I at least have seen. Very interesting 👌 channel sir.

You are an amazing speaker my friend, thank you.

Your work is important. Keep it up.

Aren't there some early sound recordings of Frédéric Douglas? An amazing man!

The irony is that sending the money back wouldn't help the slaves one bit .But accepting the cash could potentially strengthened the free church ,so my thoughts are what was the ongoing thrust of the free church in the preceding years after pocketing the dosh?

Very thought provoking, thank you for making this video!

I always enjoy your videos 👍🏼

Love this. SO important.

I absolutely love your channel. You open our minds and make us think Thank you 🙏

Wow! This went a dire3ction I definitely did not see coming, but I'm glad it did. very eye-opening and challenging. Thank you!

Wonderful channel! Already sending out notifications (in Canada) to watch your KZfaq channel.

I am a white southern American whose family (one line) was deported for some reason from an island off Arran in 1740. They were “archibald mcgills” who were thrown in the hold of a ship with some of their bloodsucking enemies, the Campbells - whom they later learned to get along with until they could retreat further into the wilderness…) in fact, My folks were buried so deep in the Georgia wilderness by the civil war that I have McGill grandparents whom are the same couple on three lines of my family) and I am bedridden and dying from an hereditary disease now - which they say came (so they tell me at Mayo Clinic) from this one Scottish couple! And more Scots. Stewards, Wallace, - Butler, McCray, McDaniel, Spivey, Bryan, Bryant, Singletary,, O’Bryan…. 77 percent Scots and the rest mostly English and Roma dna. My Bryan grandfather’s DNA is only three off the irish sea skeleton. He matches every border Scot name I found in the reiver book on 12 markers up to 24, and In fact, my dna shows me so white and so Scottish (except with some fraction of E3B1 Roman dna) That most of my family died back then either of Indian Massacres or skin cancer, prompting me to look into family history if only to find out WHY a bunch of folks with sandy to red hair and virtually NO pigment in their skin thought it would be a good idea to move to the South Georgia -North Florida line (where the sun beats down without mercy 11 months out of the year and there’s only a few scrub pines and stunted Turkey oaks for shade…). There are other lines of my family with more Scots and then some great great, great grandmother and father who are so English they are 15th cousins to QE 2 according to some Burke’s peerage of Colonial U S immigrants (pre-Revolution). I found out the county of Colquitt GA voted against secession, had eight free black people out there in the scrub and county of Colquitt - but about 150 of them dutifully marched off to fight when they said “The Yankees invaded Virginia, NC and Florida. Think they were mostly Baptists and “shouting” Methodists. I think some of them were also Quakers., do not too much fans of slavery. But I used to here a few relatives from up there sats - you know - the “n” word. But because my border scot grandpa (who sounds a little like you with a southern US drawl and words I’m hearing you say now that I had no idea what they meant “bloody Orangeman (?)”, even .”hoos” (and what’s a “hoos-cow” (?). Know what a “hot trod is!!!” Not a “hot rod but a hot trod!!” And will say that here in Florida there were msn Scots who were Indian agents, Indian scouts and married “Indians” - native Americans, I know … I know they often turncoated and took up for the native Americans and we have several well-known Scottish names (like our neighbors, the Aurbuthnots), whose grandfather was hung by Andrew Jackson when he was military governor of Florida. I tired to study Scottish history but now but it became so convoluted and yn cplainabkw ;from my particular perspective on this earth) that I finally gave up. I confess also to feeling a little turned off with the way it seemed the Scots were always switching sides and covorting with the English. It kind of put me off. 12:11 But now I have discovered you! And I have been bing watching for days as I recover from a particularly rough bout of autoimmune flare and pneumonia. You are my new favorite historian because somehow - when you sound like my grandpa - one of the smartest men I known before. So far I am a rapt student! So many things you’ve explained that I thought I didn’t know!!! Or that I really didn’t know! I know you have little tune for answering, and that’s ok. But can I ask just one question? My grandpa never, ever said anything without it being “ironic”. And s there a Scottish thing? Thanks again. I can’t explain what all this really means to me but you are my new very favorite historian!!

Another great question. Thanks for a power filled lesson.

Very good content Bruce. As someone else said, thought provoking too..

I've gone through about three videos now and have already subscribed- but that mathS joke 🤣👏🏽

🙌 Brilliant video as always 😊 I recognised his face but didn't know who he was, thank you for this!

Superb again Bruce!

Life is full of injustices and downright cruelties. As a younger person I objected strongly about the mistreatment of women, the homeless, the refugees, my Asian colleagues, my black colleagues. I have gained a reputation of being opinionated and sometimes it doesn't go down well with others who are misogynistic, cruel and thoughtless of the suffering of others, however, will it deter me from calling out the bigoted and the cruel? I think not. I still have the unfortunate habit (for others) of calling out the haters of colour, sexuality, women, minorities and difference. Love to ALL.

So interesting, love your channel x

Self Interest is the only god anyone really worships - and its been that way since Adam bit the apple. Another outstanding video. Thank-you Mr. Fumey.

Powerful. Thanks for sharing this amazing documentary

Best one yet.

We cannot go back and fix the wrongs of the past, all we can do is to make a better future and to make sure to tell our children how wrong it was and to not repeat these mistakes in the future. I live in Ontario, Canada near a small city called Owen Sound which was the northern terminus of the underground railroad, which for those who don't know was a secret path of safe houses used to smuggle American slaves across the boarder to freedom in Canada, as we had abolished slavery here officially in upper Canada (Ontario) in 1793, and all British dominions as of 1833. We have a history of those former slaves settling here during the 19th century and many of the place names etc in the area reflect that. This whole area was settled by primarily Scots who left Scotland due to the clearances etc, so we have a lot of Scottish place names as well.

Brilliant 👏 Well done man your on the spot as always 🙏✌

This is one of several of your videos I have watched recently. Interesting, well researched objective work. Keep making all your historic videos, they are a valuable record in a format that may just reach an audience books and visitor centres wouldn't. Have you considered doing a video on Salim Aga? It is similarly related to this video and a captivating story. He spent time on the Murtle Estate in Aberdeen before embarking on an extra-ordinary life journey. Thank you for your work.

I'm at my desk doing work that needs only half of my attention, so i was listening to some KZfaq with the other half. then this video of yours grabbed me, demanding my full attention, and so i put my work aside for a bit, i could not do otherwise. 🙏🖖

I’ve been bingeing your videos! Help!

A good short look at an often overlooked & ignored part of Scottish history with a dose of CURRENT affairs.When I tell people even to this day my Dad was a black man a good few shades darker than yourself but with every bit as broad a Scottish accent as yours(& mine),a lot of people take a second for the fact that such a person even exists/has ever existed before they utter the usual “are you serious” response..Even in 2020🤦‍♂️lol

Send the money back and I am grateful for your posts.from an old lefty from the 60’s

Now...there's a thought to be left with...thank you Bruce 😁

"man will never be free until the last minster is hung with the entrails of the last politician"

You have a great mind, I love your videos and this one in particular

Frederick Douglass was a major supporter of the American Republican Party. He was a great man.

Very interesting as always.

Excellent video, Bruce!

Great video, learnt stuff AND made me think.

Thanks, Bruce.

Brilliant video with wonderful sentiments

Tremendous episode!

I enjoyed this Fredrick Douglas lesson. I'm sorry for this long post to give an answer to your question. But this is a deep discussion in my opinion. I think a much deeper and appropriate question isn't "would we have sent the money back? The question is.... " Why was the wealth from industries such as the railways you mentioned, built by those slaves.... Never redistributed to the slaves or their following generations? ".... I get your question about money being sent back Collectively, by the masses, equating the problem to our collective benefit from slaves contributions to society. But see... This is a far more diabolical issue than just individuals or a whole society, benefiting from the use of a product or industry at the hands of free slave labor. This is an issue of a massive profit, from industry, produced by free labor, going to the elites of that era or the upper class who managed the slave labor and installation of that railway. To then establish extreme wealth for their families and generations all the way up until today. If we are honest.... Those class differences of people that existed then, still exist today. Then you had the wealthy industry owners, the middle class or lower middle class managers, supervisors of those slaves. Then the Slave... The free worker who was not free. So no.... The working class of today that can confirm they descended from slaves , who probably do not have the wealth that traveled through time and was handed down, from the exploitation of slavery, should not have to give money back. But those families who have received all the benefits of wealth transfer, from the industry of the railway, that exploited free labor to exercise maximum profits, that they then leveraged to extreme wealth that they built multiple generations of wealth on.... Up to present day..... Should give the money back. And they should give that to the families of the slaves who worked that railway.... For free or for wages that literally were not equivalent to what they should have been at the time. Speaking for The USA... Slaves were not paid to work. Not an wage for time or labor. They were given quarter , to breed, eat and stay healthy enough, to live long enough to turn a profit. In most cases, 4 millions slaves post Emancipation, those slaves weren't given any reparations for the 400 years of generational loss of wage and trauma. Hell, if they just gave the back pay alone, that they owed them for JUST THE LABOR,.... many of those family generations, from that 4 million slaves freed post Emancipation, would have established and sustained some level of transfered wealth to their future generations in the form of land at a minimum.

If all lives mattered,! There would not be tent cities or homeless living under bridges or abandoned houses or subway tunnels, or many, many other situations people turn a blind eye to. It doesn't cover just one color or nationality it covers many, in any country in the world and is totally discussing. 🌹🦋❤️☮️🇺🇸