The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-10-24
SLAVE TRADE IN AMERICA.


Historic Sketches Of the South by
Miss e. L. Roche Of Mobile. states that
these sketches are confined to re-
view of the beginning Of Negro slav-
cry In America. the early legislation
against the slave trade. and the con-
litions Of the trade with America, as
an introduction, to an account OF the
voyage of the Chlotilde. the last slave
trading venture undertaken. and its
results" 1t is not quite correct to de-
scribe the voyage Of the Chlotilde as
the last slave trading venture. There
was still later one, and Georgia, not
Alabama. received the very last cargo
Of slaves from Africa.
The SLAYER Chlotilde landed 175 Ne.
groes from Africa near Mobile In 1858.
In December of the same year the
SLAYER Wanderer, sailing under the flag
of the New York Yacht club. landed
75O slaves from the Kong0. near Bruins
| wick, on the Georgia coast The Wan
derer landed 600 more slaves from the
Congo on the Georgia coast ii the fol-
lowing year-1S59. Stephen ~. Doug
las declared in public speech that he
believed $4,000 Negro slaves were
smuggied into the United States In
/ 1850, but so far as we know, the only
importation ON record for that year
was the Wanderers second cargo OF
4 600. It is at least certain that the
1 Wanderer was actively engaged In the
outlawed business In the year after
the minor exploit Of the Chlotilde.
1t is related that the 7bO Negroes
, first landed by the Wanderer In De-
cember, 1853, were sent up the Satilla
and Savannah rivers and scattered
over the state Of Georgia, and that
these slaves were sold at $500 to $700
apiece, although they cost only q few
beads and red handkerchiefs. tThe
American Slave Trade, John R. Spears,
PIP. 199-208J. .-.
In a speech delivered at August, Ga,
July 2, 1859, Alexander n. Stephens.
without referring to the successful
smuggling expeditions Of the Wander
: er and the Chlotilde, boldly suggested
the desirability Of a reopening OF the
: African slave trade which had ceased
as a lawful enterprise in 1908 by the
decree Of the constitution Of the Unit
ed States. He rejoiced that the slav-
cry institution was apparently more
}. strongly fortified than 1t ever had
been, as a result Of the agitations fol-
lowing the compromise Of 1850. "Ques.
| Px1l nd
before these agitations have since been
. settled" he said, settled by all the
i; departments of the government" re-
Q ferring to. Chief Justice Taney's deci-
q sion in the Dred Scott case and the
0 triumph of the popular sovereignty
I plan for the territor. 9. ..-
But the advantage gained would be
fruitless, he thought. without ian in
crease of African slaves from abroad
"It takes people to make states. he
\ said. "and 1t requires people OF the
African race to make slave states
. You may not expect to see many oi
q the territories come into the Union al
b slave states unless we have an In
a crease of African stock" The attitude
d of Stephens was the more remarkable
t in view of the fact that the constitu
y tion Of the Southern Confederacy
= adopted two years later. forbade tn
\ reopening Of the African slave trade
l. and no proposition to do otherwise wa
It even offered in the preliminary dis
. cussions.
4 What Is chiefly interesting to us nov
l. In connection with these last importa
d lions of slaves half century ago I
q the fact that the 1850 wild Negroe
from the Kongo that were sent up tn
p Satilla and Savannah rivers and scat
e tered over Georgia were In most case
\ very young men and women. perhap
. from sixteen to thirty years of ags
u and It is probable that not few o
u them are still living. while tleir chi
= dren and grandchildren are legion. Tn
= fact that aboriginal savagery is !
= many cases no more remote than tha
= ought to be taken into account bot
y when we pass judgment and when "
consider the varied rspects OF our M
: gro problem.