▁slave ▁trade ▁and ▁the ▁expand ing ▁slave ▁colon ies ." ▁ ▁Un like ▁Irish ▁indent ured ▁servants , ▁ens la ved ▁Afr icans ▁generally ▁were ▁made ▁slaves ▁for ▁life ▁and ▁this ▁perpet ual ▁slave ▁status ▁was ▁im posed ▁on ▁their ▁children ▁at ▁birth . ▁ ▁Both ▁system atically ▁and ▁leg ally , ▁Afr icans ▁were ▁subject ed ▁to ▁a ▁lif el ong , ▁her itable ▁sla very ▁that ▁the ▁Irish ▁never ▁were . ▁African ▁slaves ' ▁future ▁descend ants ▁became ▁property . ▁ ▁Orig ins ▁and ▁propag ation ▁ ▁The ▁myth ▁is ▁especially ▁popular ▁with ▁apolog ists ▁for ▁the ▁Confeder ate ▁States ▁of ▁America , ▁the ▁se cess ion ist ▁slave ▁states ▁of ▁the ▁South ▁during ▁the ▁American ▁Civil ▁War . ▁According ▁to ▁research ▁li br arian ▁and ▁independent ▁scholar ▁Li am ▁Hog an , ▁the ▁most ▁influ ential ▁book ▁to ▁assert ▁the ▁myth ▁was ▁They ▁W ere ▁White ▁And ▁They ▁W ere ▁S la ves : ▁The ▁U nt old ▁History ▁of ▁The ▁Ens lav ement ▁of ▁Wh ites ▁In ▁Early ▁America , ▁self - pub lished ▁in ▁the ▁US ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 3 ▁by ▁consp i racy ▁the or ist ▁and ▁Hol oca ust ▁den ier ▁Michael ▁A . ▁Hoff man ▁II ▁( who ▁bl amed ▁Jews ▁for ▁the ▁African ▁slave ▁trade ). ▁ ▁This ▁was ▁followed ▁in ▁Ireland ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 0 ▁by ▁the ▁book ▁To ▁Hell ▁Or ▁Barb ados : ▁The ▁Eth nic ▁Cle ans ing ▁of ▁Ireland ▁by ▁the ▁journalist ▁Se an ▁O '