It’s often said that history is written by the victors, which means they glorify their achievements and rarely document their mistakes. You may have heard some historical facts about slavery and oppression that we’re about to share, but most likely, you haven’t heard the full truth.
Take a look at the other side of historical events that can be quite unsettling. Check out these hard-to-believe facts.
Here are some historical events related to slavery and oppression:
1. Abraham Lincoln Didn’t Fight the Civil War to End Slavery
The real reason the American Civil War began was to prevent the South from seceding from the Union — not to free all the slaves.
Abraham Lincoln once said:“If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.”
So, his primary goal was to keep the country united, not to end slavery.
2. Pocahontas Was a Friend of John Smith
Don’t believe the romanticized version portrayed by Disney in its famous film Pocahontas, which showed her saving John Smith’s life by placing her head over his to stop her father from killing him.
In reality, historians agree that Pocahontas was captured and held for ransom, and when she later had the chance to return to her people, she chose to stay with her captors. She married an Englishman at the age of 17.
After that, Pocahontas traveled to England to encourage investment in Jamestown. She died at the age of 21 from unknown causes.
3. The First Thanksgiving
After European settlers arrived in America and took over Native American lands, they held a large feast to celebrate their first abundant harvest.
However, they didn’t actually invite the Native Americans (Indigenous peoples) to join their celebration.
Despite this, a tribe called Wampanoag joined them, and the feast lasted for several days. They even hunted a few deer to eat during the festivities.
Later on, the holiday was made official and popularized by Abraham Lincoln.
4. The Pyramids Were Built by Slaves — or Were They?
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus described the pyramid builders as slaves.
But in reality, the pyramids were constructed by poor workers who came from northern and southern Egypt.
Unlike the harsh treatment of slaves in other historical accounts, these workers were actually respected for their labor. Those who died during construction were buried in tombs near the sacred pyramids — a great honor at the time.
This sheds light on the truth behind slavery and oppression in that era.
5. The Salem Witch Burnings
You may have heard of the Salem Witch Trials through Hollywood films or TV shows.
The story often goes that a group of witches, mostly from the same lineage, were gathered in a church, locked inside, and burned alive.
However, that’s not entirely accurate. Some historians believe that the accused were put on trial. Fifteen died in prison, and nineteen were hanged.
6. People in the Middle Ages Lived Short Lives
The average life expectancy during the Middle Ages was around 30 years, but this doesn’t mean everyone died young.
The high infant mortality rate significantly lowered the overall average.
If someone in medieval England lived to 21, they had a good chance of living to around 64 years old.
7. Columbus Discovered North America
When Christopher Columbus set out to find the East Indies, he didn’t actually discover North America.
He ended up in the Caribbean, where he kidnapped indigenous people, established settlements, and began transatlantic slave trading.
8. Van Gogh’s Ear
The famous story of Vincent van Gogh cutting off his ear and sending it to a woman he loved is true, but he only cut off part of his ear, not the entire ear.
He was deeply in love with this woman, but she mocked his appearance and his large ears, which wounded him emotionally and drove him to act impulsively.
However, some art historians believe this isn’t the full story. They suggest that Van Gogh got into a heated argument with fellow painter Paul Gauguin, who then drew a sword and cut off part of Van Gogh’s earlobe.
At the time, Van Gogh and Gauguin were living together. It’s possible they fabricated the story to keep Gauguin out of prison.
9. Texas Fought to Preserve Slavery
A group of fighters from Texas fought to remain separate from Mexico.
The key reason was that Mexico had recently abolished slavery, while Texans strongly wanted the right to own humans and force them to work for free.
By the time Texas joined the Civil War as part of the Confederacy, slaves made up nearly one-third of the state’s population.
10. The Irish Potato Famine
The Great Famine, also known as the Irish Potato Famine, occurred between 1845 and 1849.
Historically, the Irish were blamed for relying too heavily on potatoes as their main food source. When a fungus destroyed the potato crop, they began to starve.
However, over a million deaths were not caused by the potato blight alone.
The British government, which treated the Irish like slaves at the time, refused to offer aid. Their economic policies prioritized landowners over the poor Irish farmers.
Many scholars today argue that Britain’s stance amounted to a deliberate act of genocide against Ireland’s poor.
11. Viking Slaves
The Vikings were notoriously brutal — both to outsiders and among themselves.
They often captured large numbers of people, including civilians and clergy, during their raids and treated them as slaves and spoils of war. Mercy was rarely shown.
Also, contrary to popular belief, Vikings didn’t actually wear horned helmets, at least not real warriors.
This image came from an artistic work called Wagner’s Ring, created in 1876, which depicted Vikings wearing animal horns on their helmets.
Today, that image has stuck in popular culture. While it seems fitting, it’s historically inaccurate.
