How does Irish slavery compare to African slavery in America?

by [deleted]

I'm not sure how to ask this question.

I have a friend who, when African slavery comes up, insists that the Irish had it worse in America and that black people should just shut up. I don't know if there's a word for it but he grew up poor, white, and currently lives paycheck-to-paycheck and continues to claim that racism doesn't exist. He flies a Confederate flag on his porch.

He's not a person I can cut out of my life (his family are close friends, we run in the same circles, etc.) and he's constantly forcing me to engage the issue. I tell him that the numbers and the social impact aren't comparable but he continues to rant about it. He keeps saying there were more Irish slaves in America than African slaves.

r/AskHistorians, what do I need to know to have an informed conversation with him?

Dubstripsquads

Thanks for seeing the truth of the matter in this situation, while I can't really elaborate (somewhat out of my expertise, I do the other kind of slavery) but in No Way did the Irish have it worse than the African slave. Both lived in horrible conditions but Indentured servitude does not equal Chattel slavery. Here are some answers from the FAQ

Were there Irish slaves in America in the same way there were African slaves?

Were Irish brought to the Americas as slaves by the British in the 17th and 18th centuries? What were their relative conditions compared to African slaves?

Were there Irish slaves that were legitimate chattel?

Were the Irish slaves of the 1600s British colonies technically slaves or were they prisoners (of war), servants etc. living in slave-like conditions?

Were there Irish slaves owned by black people?