The Fall of Captain Nathaniel Gordon Quiz

Answer: Erie

Gordon took on a crew in Havana, telling them they were on a legitimate trading voyage. Only when well into the trip did they check the stores - and realise there were far more provisions than they would need. They smelled a rat. When they brought this up to the captain, he offered to let anyone who did not want to stay on the ship go ashore - where there was little chance of them being found by a legitimate ship.

Answer: 897

About one half of the Africans purchased were children, the youngest being around 6 months old. The rest were younger adults, the eldest being about 40. Men and women were equally represented in the latter group. Children did not obtain as high a price as adults, but more could be fit into the ship, making it more lucrative than taking on just adults.

Answer: yes

The ship he spotted was the USS Mohican, a new steam-powered warship sent to patrol African waters for slave ships. Gordon didn't recognise it, and therefore thought it must be a British ship.

Answer: Sylvanus W. Gordon

Captain Sylvanus Gordon, after inspecting the Erie, wrote to the Secretary of the Navy that he had found the slaves and "a large number of persons on board claiming to be passengers" - but nobody admitted to being the Erie's captain or mate.

Answer: 1712

On 6 April 1712, 23 African slaves set fire to a building and when the whites came out to put out the fire, they were attacked by the slaves. Twenty seven slaves were captured and accused of killing nine whites and injuring six more. Of those captured, six committed suicide; the remaining were burned to death. Following the rebellion, laws were written to prevent groups of more than three Africans gathering, to outlaw Africans drinking or owning firearms, and various property crimes by blacks became punishable by death.

Answer: The Forty Thieves

The British conquered the city of New Amsterdam in 1664 and renamed it New York. Wood was a shipping merchant, born in 1812 in Philadelphia, who became involved in politics at an early age. He joined the Tammany Society, was elected to the US Congress in 1841 and served there until 1843. In 1854 he was elected Mayor of New York and re-elected in 1857 courtesy the votes of the inhabitants of the local cemetaries. A colourful character, Wood presided over a corrupt Council which earned the nickname of the Forty Thieves.

In December 1860, the state of South Carolina declared it would no longer be part of the federal United States. Two weeks later, Wood recommended that the city of New York do likewise, as the city had strong business interests with the South. There was no anti-slavery sympathy within the government of the city.

Answer: $1

They were fined one dollar each, and ordered to gaol. They spent less than a year in prison, a fact which must have heartened Captian Gordon, who was being held for trial in New York City.

Answer: forcible detention of the Africans

Gordon was charged with forcible detention of the Africans. Smith felt the slave trade was "against humanity, unjust and impolitic" and he went for the jugular. In his opening statement to the jury he called for the death penalty as a deterrent to others in the slave trade.

The trial ended in a hung jury. It was found that during recess, the jury was allowed free access, and some in favour of the slave trade were bribing them. A new jury was found and sequestered, and had no difficulty coming to a verdict: guilty.

Answer: yes

Thousands of names on petitions were sent to Lincoln, who was known as a bit of a soft touch when it came to issuing pardons. He nevertheless considered all the ramifications a pardon would bring, and concluded that it was "his duty" to refuse clemency.

Answer: strichnine

On the day he was to be hanged, 21 February 1862, gaolers found Gordon in convulsions. He had taken strychnine. Doctors managed to revive him by pumping his stomach, catheterising him and dosing him with brandy and whiskey. He survived, but only until a little after noon, when he was marched to the gallows. He told the executioner, Bill Isaacs, "Make the knot run easy and fix it on the right side."

Gordon's execution was meant as a warning to others not to take part in the slave trade, or risk their own executions. However, he was the only one to go to the gallows. The slave trade ended with the Civil War.

This quiz is based on information from June 2007 Smithsonian Magazine. Please don't forget to rate the quiz, thank you!