Ever since the Charlottesville protests, the Left has ramped up their crusade against Confederate monuments and street named after Confederate generals. Using their logic, they should be calling for renaming the leftist mecca of New York, whose namesake is derived from a slave trader.
The Daily Caller reminded everyone that New York is named after the former duke of York, James Stuart, who would eventually become King James II. James formed the Royal African Company (RAC), which eventually “became the largest single company involved in the slave trade,” according to a 1999 UNESCO paper.
The RAC traded an average of 5,000 slaves per year from 1680-6 and a total of 30,000 from 1680-1700. The company remained in the slave trading industry until it moved to trading gold dust and ivory in 1731. The RAC was dissolved in 1752.
The slaves traded under RAC would be branded with initials; the UNESCO paper states that they were branded with the letters “DY” after the Duke of York, while History.com states that they were branded “with the company’s initials.”
Regardless, it’s clear that the man whom New York is named after oversaw a company that was a large player in the slave trading industry for many years.
The Daily Caller points out that New York eventually began ending the evil practice of slavery in 1799, once the trade ceased to be lucrative.
New York liberals like Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have called for renaming streets and taking down “symbols of hate” as a response to the Charlottesville protests. When are they going to call for their own state to be renamed?
Additionally, when are they and other leftists going to call for the Democratic Party to be renamed?