Slave Ship 'Wildfire" Captured with 510 Africans Aboard, Key West, Florida

New York: Harper's Weekly Illustrated Newspaper, June 2, 1860. Folio. Very Good. Item #900062

Original 1860 pre-Civil War historic newspaper with an inside-page detailed report on the capture of the Slave Ship 'WILDFIRE', brought into Key West, Florida in April, 1860. The report is accompanied by a near full-page poster engraving of the African Blacks on the deck of the ship and several smaller engravings of the African captives.

This slave-ship capture caused a national uproar and was a catalyst in the events leading to civil war. It was one of the last slave ships to touch American soil.

COMPLETE, ORIGINAL NEWSPAPER, the Harper's Weekly Illustrated Newspaper (NY) dated June 2, 1860, with compelling SLAVE TRADE history, with news of the capture of the slave ship, "Wildfire'.

The engravings and report encompass two full pages and also include a picture of the camp where the Africans were held at Key West. "The importation of slaves had been prohibited in the United States since [1808], and yet, the trade continued illegally on a smaller scale for many years -- even up to the outbreak of the Civil War.Published in the June 2, 1860 issue of Harper's Weekly, The Slave Deck of the Bark "Wildfire" illustrated how Africans travelled on the upper deck of the ship.

On board the ship were 510 captives, recently acquired from an area of Africa near the Congo River. The author of the article reported seeing, upon boarding the ship, "about four hundred and fifty native Africans, in a state of entire nudity, in a sitting or squatting posture, the most of them having their knees elevated so as to form a resting place for their heads and arms."By slave ship standards, not many had died en route -- about 90 of the original 600.

But the ship was not filled to capacity -- it could hold 1,000 slaves -- and the Africans were well-fed.The ship was captured by an American steamer and brought to port at Key West. The captured Africans would soon be freed."

This is one of the most sought after pre-Civil War newspaper imprints in the field of Black Americana and this issue is in beautiful condition. #1Q-016.

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