Last Slave Ship

The dramatic true story of the Clotilda, the final known ship to bring enslaved Africans to the United States in 1860-more than fifty years after the transatlantic slave trade was outlawed. Journalist Ben Raines uncovers how the ship was secretly built, illegally sailed to West Africa, and then burned and sunk in the Mobile River in an attempt to hide the crime. Drawing on historical records, survivor accounts, and his own investigative work, Raines details the lives of the 110 captives who were brought to Alabama and later founded the community of Africatown. The book follows the long effort by their descendants to preserve their history and seek recognition, culminating in the modern-day discovery of the Clotilda's wreck. Both a historical investigation and a story of resilience, Last Slave Ship explores the legacy of slavery, the power of community memory, and the ongoing reckoning with one of America's most painful chapters.