11. Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow’s remarkable growth in the 18th and 19th centuries was fueled by the import of tobacco, sugar, and cotton—commodities produced by enslaved labor in the Americas. Wealthy Glasgow merchants, known as “Tobacco Lords,” invested heavily in these slave economies, shaping the city’s fortunes and skyline. In recent years, Glasgow has begun to recognize this troubling legacy, with official apologies and new initiatives aimed at education and reparative action. To learn more about Glasgow’s reckoning with its past, visit The Guardian.
