Lecture: New York and the Illegal Slave Trade During the Civil War Era

"New York and the Illegal Slave Trade During the Civil War Era"

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 | 7:00 PM | Virtual via Zoom

$5/household, HRMM members FREE

New York was the last slaving port in the Americas. Long after Congress banned the trade, hundreds of ships were leaving the wharfs of Manhattan bound for the African coast. This talk, drawn from the author’s new book, The Last Slave Ships (Yale University Press), describes who ran the trade and how, why law enforcement was complicit, and the reasons why Abraham Lincoln’s Republic Party squashed the trade during the Civil War.

Speaker Bio:

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, John Harris immigrated to the United States, completed a PhD in American History, and is currently Boswell-McDonald Chair of History at Erskine College. His new book, The Last Slave Ships, was published by Yale University Press, and has received critical praise in The Nation and The New Republic. Harris has written for the Washington Post, History.com, and The Smithsonian Magazine.

Purchase: The Last Slave Ships: New York and the End of the Middle Passage

Please note: Upon completing registration you should receive an email with the Zoom link. Please save this email to login to the meeting at the appointed time. Lectures begin promptly at 7:00 PM EST.