Fletcher:

“Or that the “land of the brave and the home of the free” took fifty years after its formation for a large part of its population to share that freedom, even in theory.”

Yes, it took the US longer than necessary to banish the evil of slavery and yes, Britain did take the lead in ending it’s part of the slave trade in the Americas. But, when it came to Britain’s addiction to its’ favorite beverage, the country quickly turned a blind eye to the plantation life and virtual slave conditions that existed in India, Burma and Ceylon.