Williams' Gang: A Notorious Slave Trader and his Cargo of Black Convicts

Jeff Forret (Lamar University, Texas)

Williams' Gang: A Notorious Slave Trader and his Cargo of Black Convicts
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Country
United Kingdom
Published
2 December 2021
Pages
484
ISBN
9781108730365

Williams’ Gang: A Notorious Slave Trader and his Cargo of Black Convicts

Jeff Forret (Lamar University, Texas)

William H. Williams operated a slave pen in Washington, DC, known as the Yellow House, and actively trafficked in enslaved men, women, and children for more than twenty years. His slave trading activities took an extraordinary turn in 1840 when he purchased twenty-seven enslaved convicts from the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond with the understanding that he could carry them outside of the United States for sale. When Williams conveyed his captives illegally into New Orleans, allegedly while en route to the foreign country of Texas, he prompted a series of courtroom dramas that would last for almost three decades. Based on court records, newspapers, governors’ files, slave manifests, slave narratives, travelers’ accounts, and penitentiary data, Williams’ Gang examines slave criminality, the coastwise domestic slave trade, and southern jurisprudence as it supplies a compelling portrait of the economy, society, and politics of the Old South.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 2 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.