1820 U.S. Law on Slave Trade
Encyclopedia
An Act to protect the commerce of the United States and punish the crime of piracy is an 1819 United States federal statute against piracy
, amended in 1820 to declare the slave trade and robbing a ship to be piracy as well. The last execution for piracy in the United States was of slave trader Nathaniel Gordon
in 1862 under the amended act.
The original act was An act to protect the commerce of the United States and punish the crime of piracy , and provided in section 5 that "That if any person or persons whatsoever shall, on the high seas, commit the crime of piracy, as defined by the law of nations, and such offender or offenders shall afterwards be brought into or found in the United States, every such offender or offenders shall, upon conviction thereof ... be punished by death." Section 6 set the act to expire at "the end of the next session of Congress".
The act was amended by An Act to continue in force "An act to protect the commerce of the United States and punish the crime of piracy," and also to make further provisions for punishing the crime of piracy , sometimes known as the 1820 Piracy Law. It extended the original act to 2 years after, then to the end of the next session of Congress after that. It also added three additional types of piracy: in section 3, robbery of a ship, its crew, or contents is declared piracy, punishable by death; in section 4, to seize or "decoy" onto a ship "any negro
or mulatto
, not held to service or labour by the laws of either of the states or territories of the United States with intent to make such negro or mulatto a slave" is also declared piracy punishable by death; and in section 5, attempting to confine, deliver, or sell a negro or mulatto (similarly qualified as "not held to service", etc.) is also declared piracy punishable by death.
The act was made "perpetual" by the 17th United States Congress
.
Nathaniel Gordon
was the only American slave trader to be tried, convicted, and executed "for being engaged in the Slave Trade" under this law. He was hanged in New York on February 21, 1862.
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
, amended in 1820 to declare the slave trade and robbing a ship to be piracy as well. The last execution for piracy in the United States was of slave trader Nathaniel Gordon
Nathaniel Gordon
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...
in 1862 under the amended act.
The original act was An act to protect the commerce of the United States and punish the crime of piracy , and provided in section 5 that "That if any person or persons whatsoever shall, on the high seas, commit the crime of piracy, as defined by the law of nations, and such offender or offenders shall afterwards be brought into or found in the United States, every such offender or offenders shall, upon conviction thereof ... be punished by death." Section 6 set the act to expire at "the end of the next session of Congress".
The act was amended by An Act to continue in force "An act to protect the commerce of the United States and punish the crime of piracy," and also to make further provisions for punishing the crime of piracy , sometimes known as the 1820 Piracy Law. It extended the original act to 2 years after, then to the end of the next session of Congress after that. It also added three additional types of piracy: in section 3, robbery of a ship, its crew, or contents is declared piracy, punishable by death; in section 4, to seize or "decoy" onto a ship "any negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
or mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
, not held to service or labour by the laws of either of the states or territories of the United States with intent to make such negro or mulatto a slave" is also declared piracy punishable by death; and in section 5, attempting to confine, deliver, or sell a negro or mulatto (similarly qualified as "not held to service", etc.) is also declared piracy punishable by death.
The act was made "perpetual" by the 17th United States Congress
17th United States Congress
The Seventeenth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1821 to March 3, 1823, during the fifth and sixth...
.
Nathaniel Gordon
Nathaniel Gordon
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...
was the only American slave trader to be tried, convicted, and executed "for being engaged in the Slave Trade" under this law. He was hanged in New York on February 21, 1862.
External links
- The U.S. Navy and the Anti-Piracy Patrol in the Caribbean on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
website