What we can learn from sunken slave ships

Air Date:
Heard On The Morning Show
An illustration of a ship transporting people into slavery in the U.S.
In this illustration, kidnapped people being ferried toward slavery can be seen in the cargo hold of the Clotilda, the last ship to transport abducted Africans to the United States in 1859. (Jason Treat/National Geographic)

Some 12.5 million Africans were abducted into slavery from the 16th to 19th centuries. About 1.8 million died in shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean. We talk with two National Geographic explorers about efforts to find the shipwrecks and better understand these crimes and what we can learn of the victims.

Episode Credits

  • Kate Archer Kent Host
  • Joe Tarr Producer
  • Maria Lopez Technical Director
  • Alyea Pierce Guest
  • Justin Dunnavant Guest

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