Nathaniel Gordon Was A Successful Slave Trader - 926 Words

Imagine being taken from your home, forced to board an overly crowded ship, not knowing the destination or what is the future entails for you. This was the case, for countless Africans that endured horrible treatment, as they were ultimately sold into slavery throughout the United States. In 1807, the United States Congress, passed new legislation that made it illegal to import slaves (Finkelman, 2008). This law became effective in 1808, still most people did not believe that importing slaves was considered unlawful. Including a man named Nathaniel Gordon, who was a successful slave trader, that believed himself to be untouchable by the law put forth. He was the mastermind behind taking African slaves against their will, which began their journey of enslavement in the United States. He was eventually captured, put to trial, and ultimately hung for his wrong doings. Nathaniel Gordon was used as an example, for all others that believed they were above the law, and that capturing people with the intent to sell them into slavery would no longer be considered a tolerable act in the United States. Born about 1834 in Portland, Maine, Nathaniel Gordon was deeply engaged as a slave trader (Gordon, 2008). Gordon was the captain of ship Erie that was finally revealed â€Å". . .by the United States steamer Mohican, on the morning of the 8th day of August, 1860; that she was then about fifty miles outside the River Congo, on the West Coast of Africa. . .† (Punishment of a Slave