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"Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is an English nursery rhyme, the earliest printed version of which dates from around 1744
The story deals with the unkind treatment that Kipling received between the ages of 6 and 11 in a foster home in Southsea.
• One theory suggests that it refers to resentment over the heavy taxation on wool during medieval times. The English “Great” or “Old Custom” wool tax of 1275 is cited as a possible inspiration.
• Another, more controversial theory connects the rhyme to the slave trade, particularly in the southern United States. However, this explanation lacks historical evidence.
For Miranda Hawley's The Rest Of The Story Poetry Contest