Nathaniel Gordon
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Gordon was the only American slave trader
to be tried, convicted, and executed "for being engaged in the Slave Trade" in accordance with the Piracy Law of 1820.
Gordon was born in Portland
, Maine
. He loaded 897 slaves aboard his ship Erie at Sharks Point, Congo River
, West Africa
on August 7, 1860, "of whom only 172 were men and 162 grown women. Gordon was one of those infamous characters who preferred to carry children because they could not rise up to avenge his cruelties."
The Erie was captured by the USS Mohican
50 miles from port on August 8, 1860. After one hung jury
and a new trial, Gordon was convicted on November 9, 1861 in the circuit court
in New York City
and sentenced to death
by hanging
on February 7, 1862.
President
Abraham Lincoln
issued a stay of Gordon's execution, setting the new date for February 21, 1862. Lincoln made clear that the respite was only temporary to allow Gordon time for his final preparations. The evening before the execution, Gordon unsuccessfully attempted suicide
with strychnine
poison, prompting the local authorities to move up the execution to noon from 2:30 p.m. due to Gordon's health. Gordon was survived by his wife, son, and mother.
In passing the sentence, Judge Shipman, in the course of his address to the prisoner, said:
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
to be tried, convicted, and executed "for being engaged in the Slave Trade" in accordance with the Piracy Law of 1820.
Gordon was born in Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. He loaded 897 slaves aboard his ship Erie at Sharks Point, Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
on August 7, 1860, "of whom only 172 were men and 162 grown women. Gordon was one of those infamous characters who preferred to carry children because they could not rise up to avenge his cruelties."
The Erie was captured by the USS Mohican
USS Mohican
USS Mohican has been the name of more than one United States Navy ship, and may refer to:, a sloop of war, launched in 1859, commissioned that same year and decommissioned in 1872., also a sloop of war, launched in 1883, commissioned in 1885 and decommissioned in 1921., a converted yacht,...
50 miles from port on August 8, 1860. After one hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
and a new trial, Gordon was convicted on November 9, 1861 in the circuit court
United States circuit court
The United States circuit courts were the original intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. They had trial court jurisdiction over civil suits of diversity jurisdiction and major federal crimes. They also had appellate...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and sentenced to death
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on February 7, 1862.
President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
issued a stay of Gordon's execution, setting the new date for February 21, 1862. Lincoln made clear that the respite was only temporary to allow Gordon time for his final preparations. The evening before the execution, Gordon unsuccessfully attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
with strychnine
Strychnine
Strychnine is a highly toxic , colorless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine causes muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion...
poison, prompting the local authorities to move up the execution to noon from 2:30 p.m. due to Gordon's health. Gordon was survived by his wife, son, and mother.
In passing the sentence, Judge Shipman, in the course of his address to the prisoner, said:
External links
- "Slave Captain to be Hanged", Worcester Aegis and Transcript, December 7, 1861, p 1. (From Letters of the Civil War (website), archived at Wayback Machine, November 15, 2004.)
- The American slave-trade: an account of its origin, growth and suppression, account of the voyages and trial