In honor of Black History Month, National Geographic highlights a seldom told story from the end of the civil war in Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship. Premiering Monday, February 7th at 10/9c on National Geographic, the special will also stream on Hulu beginning February 8th and arrives on Disney+ on February 11th. The special opens with a warning because it contains graphic images of slavery.
(National Geographic/Elias Williams)
Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship juxtaposes a dive crew uncovering the wreck of the Clotilda and attempting to preserve it. Filmed in October 2021 in Mobile, Alabama, Dr. James Delgado and Joseph Grinnan from SEARCH Inc. examine the most intact slave shipwreck ever found and uncover irrefutable evidence of the crimes it commited. In between these segments, historians Dr. Sylviane Diouf, Dr. Natalie S. Robertson, and Mary Elliott educate viewers about the creation of the Clotilda, its lone voyage, and intentional destruction.
The act of importing slaves was baneed by congress in 1807, but the practice continued illegaly therafter. The last known slave ship was commissioned by Mobile shipyard owner Timothy Meaher, who made a bet that he could smuggle slaves in on a lumber ship that had been designed with a hull specifically for slave travel. It set sail to Africa in 1860 and returned with 124 unwilling passengers. After the voyage, the Clotilda was burned and sunk to destroy evidence and archeologists finally found it in 2019.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship are scenes where the descendants of the people enslaved by this voyage learn more about what their ancestors went through. After the divers map out the exact size of the bunker on the ship, they are shown an open-air simulated version of the cramped quarters. WIth first-hand accounts of their ancestors experience of being uprooted from their homes, we see them process the emotional turmoil of their lineage.
The special also details what happened to Clotilda’s passengers when they were emancipated in 1866. Unable to return home, the passengers of the Clotilda united together to create Africatown. The narrative includes the significance of not only the Clotilda, but efforts to restore the community that was created in its wake. It’s clear that all of the interested parties would like to see Africatown become a heritage site with a museum, possibly displaying the wreck of the Clotilda if what remains underwater can be salvaged.
A reminder of the horrors in our nation’s past, Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship tells the most complete story of a slave ship voyage while excavating its wreckage. In many ways, this feels like it’s only scratching the surface of the story and leaves you wanting more, particularly when it comes to the archeological aspects of the project. But there’s always hope that a follow-up will come in the future.
Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship airs at 10/9c on National Geographic. Hulu subscribers can stream the special beginning February 8th and it comes to Disney+ on February 11th.