THE majority of people in the UK, Scotland in particular, have little or no knowledge of the slave trade. Schools teach about the contribution of the "Tobacco Barons" to the development of Glasgow and the surrounding area, regarding them as canny businessmen who became rich as a result of trading in tobacco, sugar and the like, and used their wealth to build churches, fund canal building and expand the city. Yet the fact that their wealth derived from the buying, use and frequently the abuse) of slaves is neatly sidestepped.

To some it is offensive that their memory is kept alive in monuments and street names, and a few who see this as grossly offensive would seek to have these removed. This would be counter-productive by making it easier for those in denial to ignore the fact that Scots were involved, in many cases far more successfully than their counterparts in England, in this despicable, inhuman trade. Far better to leave the statues and the street names, with the addition of a plaque to record their involvement, as a permanent reminder of a very dark period in this country's history.

TJ Dowds, Cumbernauld.

I AGREE to a large extent with George Kay (Letters, June 9) that education has a key role in anti-racism. The anti-racist protesters we have seen in our cities over the last few days are misguided in my eyes as they only see black and white in the issue instead of the big picture, including the brother of racism – sectarianism. If the recent anti-racist actions of defacing history continue, then in 100 years’ time, slavery- deniers will emerge and say that black people made it all up.

I feel that the demonstrators did not stop to understand that racism is only one facet of the issue of discrimination in the human psyche which is embedded in people early on in life so that they visualize the world and its people in binary form – us and them. It is perhaps a primal form of defence we are unable to shake off even after local tribalism and clan culture disappeared. Not only people are black and white but we talk daily about issues being “black and white”, meaning there must be absoluteness in truths in our lives.

We regularly hope that a rounded schooling will enlighten young people yet we condone our polarising education system which is too often about black and white; right answer and wrong answer; success and failure; winners and losers; top of the class and bottom of the class; a hit or a miss. We can hardly expect young people to learn to be unassuming and non-judgmental if we subject them to regular assessments to rate them competitively as good or bad learners.

We will not stop racism without first stopping the practice of classifying people.

Bill Brown, Milngavie.

I SHARE the views expressed by Gordon Casely (Letters, June 9). Many have reacted in support of the protests which have taken place in support of Black Lives Matter throughout the world. The fact that a minority resorted to violence only served to distract from the force of the protests.

I wrote some months ago to make the point that if we seek to revisit history in such a fashion and to apply today's moral standards, then why stop at slavery? Yes, it is true that figures such as Stirling and Cochrane in Glasgow made fortunes using slave labour. However, many other prominent figures in Glasgow made their fortunes during the Industrial Revolution on the backs of their workers, who toiled in dire conditions without proper wages and who lived in squalid and over-crowded housing. Let the whole story of exploitation be remembered.

Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.

DISTASTEFUL as slavery in British plantations was, history cannot be changed. Just as it should not be forgotten, there is no case for the febrile revisionism currently being preached. If we truly learn from history we should perhaps be more circumspect about trading with countries where slavery is still a fact of life. Such as China.

But we will continue to appease China and turn a blind eye because we demand cheap consumer goods just as we once craved sugar and tobacco. Instead of mob vandalism might it not be more constructive to challenge the sourcing of some of today’s biggest consumer companies in the world?

John Dunlop, Ayr.

IN the understandable fury arising from the unjustifiable killing of George Floyd, who was admittedly no saint, by a law enforcement officer, we have clearly witnessed global demonstrations against the prejudice ingrained in the American psyche which has claimed yet another victim. However, when emotion is unleashed in the actions of looting, violence and the destruction of statues, the rule of law and the primacy of reason are replaced by an ungovernable populist vigilantism.

If society is to regain its stability, all must accept that emotion must not overpower the central pivot reason plays in the governance of the state.

Righteous indignation should not be reflected through major civil disturbances but should harness the process of law to right the wrongs prevalent in the distortion of perspective created by misguided historical precedent, motivated by self-interest.

Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs.

Read more: Letters: We can’t rewrite history, but we can make the present better