JUSTICE FOR THE 110

1820: Piracy Act to protect the commerce of the United States and punish the crime of piracy was amended to declare participating in the slave trade or robbing a ship to be piracy and punishable by death.

1808: Transatlantic Slave Trade Act outlawing importation of slaves from Africa took effect.

One day in 1859, while gambling, known slave-trader, businessman, and landowner, Timothy Meaher made a bet of approximately $1,000 that he could smuggle Africans as slaves into the United States without being caught. He partnered with Captain William Foster, who used his ship, the Clotilda, and sponsored the voyage.

Around March 1860, Foster set sail for Africa. He and his crew would arrive in the Kingdom of Dahomey around May 15, 1860. Foster would purchase 125 African men, women and children and would pay with $9,000 in gold and merchandise. After spending nine days in Dahomey, Foster loaded 110 of the Africans onto the Clotilda.

Clotilda’s journey back to Mobile would take approximately 45 days. Foster and the captives arrived in Alabama around July 8, 1860. Foster and Meaher avoided customs agents, towed the ship up the river and put the enslaved Africans on the Steamboat Czar, owned by Timothy’s brother, Byrnes (aka Burns) Meaher. The enslaved Africans would then be transported to John Dabney’s Mount Vernon plantation and hidden in the swamp. Timothy Meaher, his brothers Byrnes and James, John Dabney and Foster were all given enslaved people from the Clotilda.

John Dabney, Timothy Meaher, and Brynes Meaher were all charged for crimes committed. Captain Foster was charged with piracy for dodging customs. Nevertheless, all cases were dismissed and charges dropped because the Africans could not be found.

The illegal actions taken by Timothy Meaher, his co-conspirators and the complicity of the U.S. government all warrant for each of the cases mentioned above to be re-opened and tried. Fifty years after the abolishment of the slave trade, with US warships patrolling the coast of Africa, Foster was successful at the illegal importation of Africans. Thus the cover-up of the illegal activity was just as bad as the crime and the discovery of Clotilda, and an investigation into previous court cases and new cases should be initiated where warranted.

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  • The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, led by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke and United States Congress should conduct a federal investigation into the crimes committed by co-conspirators Timothy Meaher, Captain William Foster and all parties involved in the smuggling of 110 enslaved Africans aboard Clotilda in July 1860. The recent discovery of Clotilda should prompt an investigation into previous court cases and new cases should be opened where warranted.

  • The United States congress, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi should pass H.R. 40 Reparation Bill. Once passed, congress should conduct a study on the reparations owed to descendants of the 110 enslaved Africans aboard Clotilda. Afterwards, the United States government should pass legislations to pay owed reparations to descendants of the 110 enslaved Africans aboard Clotilda.