The last American slave ship arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in 1860, despite the illegal importation of slaves.



The last American slave ship arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in 1860, despite the illegal importation of slaves. On board were approximately 160 West African individuals who had been captured and enslaved. 

One of the captives, named Cudjo Lewis, was acutely aware of the potential erasure of his birth culture as he toiled in this new land. However, when he eventually gained his freedom, Lewis took action to preserve his heritage.

Using the money he had earned, Cudjo Lewis purchased two acres of land and established a self-sufficient community for the survivors of the last slave ship. This community, known to outsiders as Africatown, aimed to recreate aspects of the West African home from which they had been forcibly removed. 
Lewis wanted to ensure that extended families could live together, conversations could be held in regional languages, and traditions that might otherwise have been lost in America could be maintained.

Today, Africatown still exists as a community and continues to house the descendants of the individuals who were brought to America on the nation's last slave ship. 
It stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of those who fought to preserve their heritage and maintain a sense of cultural identity in the face of tremendous adversity.

Comments

  1. NefertumNovember 3, 2023 at 8:09 PM

    Bravo! Thank God they weren't burnt out and run out of town or killed

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This photograph captures one of the last moments of this woman’s life.

Image
Cheng Benhua was a resistance fighter who gave her life defending her home country of China against the Japanese Imperial Army.  She has become a symbol of bravery in the face of death and unspeakable abuse.  Not long before striking this defiant pose, Cheng Benhua was repeatedly abused by her Japanese captors.  Despite the awareness that she would soon be killed, she still managed to put on a devious smile that made it seem like she was taunting the soldiers around her. Cheng Benhua's unwavering courage in the face of death has become an iconic representation of fearless resistance. A photograph, taken by a Japanese photographer shortly before she was fatally wounded in 1938, captures her unyielding spirit.  Not long before striking this defiant pose, Cheng Benhua was repeatedly abused and raped by her Japanese captors.  Despite enduring severe mistreatment at the hands of her captors, she appears to smile as she faces death, with her
Read more

American soldiers execute SS camp guards who have been lined up against a wall during the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.

Image
Following the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, American troops felt an urge to personally punish the camp's guards. What exactly transpired still isn't known. Dachau concentration camp, located in the state of Bavaria, Germany, was the first concentration camp established by the Nazi regime. On April 29, 1945, Dachau was liberated by the U.S seventh Army’s 45th Infantry Division. Corpses of prisoners in the Dachau death trains. 1945. But it wasn’t just liberated. Reports indicated that, appalled by what they saw, members of the U.S army were driven to take revenge. They allegedly murdered the SS officers and guards who were responsible for the Holocaust horrors that took place at Dachau. The troops arrived at the Dachau concentration camp in the afternoon. They were on their way to Munich which was just over ten miles from Dachau. Though the troops passed through Dachau, it wasn’t initially a part of the attack zones they were headed for.
Read more

A U.S. marine gives a cigarette to an injured Japanese soldier, buried in the sand at the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.

Image
A U.S. marine gives a cigarette to an injured Japanese soldier, buried in the sand at the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Equipped with a grenade, the soldier lay in ambush for 36 hours. Marines spotted him concealed in the dark sand and managed to dislodge the grenade out of his reach. Although he surrendered, the cautious Marines suspected potential booby traps and approached carefully. At his request, he was given a cigarette, and thereafter, they cautiously removed him from the shell hole. The 3rd and 4th Marine Divisions broke up the remaining organized resistance on March 16, 1945, the same day this photo was taken. Occasionally individual enemy soldiers armed with demolition charges and grenades raced out against tanks or groups of Marines but were shot down before they could do any great damage to personnel or equipment. Isolated pockets, totaling some 3,000 enemy soldiers, remained around the island. US V Amphibious Corps Command declared Iwo Jima secure at 1800
Read more