The remains of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to bring enslaved Africans to the United States, have been buried in an Alabama river and will remain underwater. This decision comes after years of debate and discussion about how to properly memorialize the ship and its historical significance.
The Clotilda was a wooden schooner that was used to illegally transport 110 enslaved Africans from present-day Benin to Mobile, Alabama in 1860. It was burned and sunk by its captain, Timothy Meaher, in an attempt to destroy evidence of the illegal slave trade.
For many years, the location of the Clotilda’s wreckage remained a mystery. In 2018, however, the ship’s remains were discovered in the Mobile River Delta. This discovery sparked a renewed interest in the ship’s history and led to discussions about how to preserve and memorialize it.
There were several different proposals for what to do with the Clotilda. Some suggested raising the ship and putting it on display in a museum, while others proposed leaving it underwater as a sort of underwater memorial. Ultimately, it was decided that the best course of action would be to bury the ship in the river, allowing it to remain undisturbed and preserving it for future generations.
This decision was not without controversy. Some argued that burying the Clotilda would be a missed opportunity to educate the public about the horrors of the slave trade and the resilience of the enslaved Africans who were brought to the United States. Others believed that leaving the ship underwater would make it inaccessible to most people and therefore render it meaningless as a memorial.
However, those in favor of burying the Clotilda argued that doing so would help to protect the ship from further deterioration and would ensure that it remains intact for future study and research. They also pointed out that the Clotilda is just one part of a larger story of slavery in America, and that there are already many other historical sites and museums dedicated to educating the public about this dark chapter in our nation’s history.
The decision to bury the Clotilda also raises broader questions about how we remember and memorialize the history of slavery in the United States. Some argue that there is a need for more tangible reminders of this history, such as museums and monuments, while others believe that the best way to honor the memory of those who suffered under slavery is to focus on the ongoing fight for racial justice and equality.
Ultimately, the burial of the Clotilda is a symbolic act that represents the complex and often contentious process of reckoning with our nation’s history. It reminds us of the importance of remembering and learning from the past, even as we continue to work towards a more just and inclusive future.
