In a prolonged, six-week journey, 110 people from West Africa were illegally shipped to Alabama on the Clotilda, marking the last known slave ship to reach the United States, in the year 1860.

In the year 1619, a significant event marked the start of the slave trade in the United States when a Dutch boat carrying 20 enslaved Africans docked in Jamestown. This unfortunate beginning set the stage for a dark chapter in American history that would last for 246 years.

By 1776, when the United States declared its independence, the 13 former colonies had participated in the Atlantic slave trade for 157 years. Major US Atlantic ports used for the landing of enslaved people included Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Norfolk, Virginia; and New York City, New York. Charleston was the primary port, with estimates of around 40,000 enslaved Africans landed, Savannah about 20,000, Norfolk approximately 10,000, and New York City around 5,000 during this period.

The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was passed in 1807, and it took effect on January 1, 1808. However, the trade continued, with the highest number of enslaved people imported per year, 23,864, brought in throughout 1807 just before the ban took effect.

Two years later, in 1810, the census recorded 1,191,364 enslaved people in the United States, 16.5% of the total population. States or territories with more than 1,000 enumerated enslaved people were Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi Territory, and Upper Louisiana Territory. Notably, New Orleans had a population of 300,000 enslaved people in 1810, making it one of the cities with the highest enslaved population.

Charleston, Georgia, and Savannah were significant ports or areas where African enslaved people were disembarked, with 148,452, 150,000, and 150,000 people respectively. It's worth noting that nearly half of the 300,000 Africans brought to the United States were brought in through Charleston, South Carolina, the country's largest slave port.

By 1810, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Vermont were recorded as having no enslaved population. However, more than 30,000 enslaved people were still present in the North, where slavery had been legislated to a gradual end or abolished.

The ban on the slave trade went into effect in 1808, but was often disregarded. The census of 1810 also recorded the enslaved population density by county, represented by dots, with each dot representing 200 people. The boundaries shown in the sources are as of 1810.

The Civil War, fought between abolitionists and the pro-slavery Confederacy, led to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which freed slaves. By 1860, nearly four million enslaved people were living in the United States. The Thirteenth Amendment, passed in 1865, officially abolished the practice, bringing an end to 246 years of slavery.

This historical overview provides a glimpse into the tragic reality of slavery in the United States. It serves as a reminder of the past, and a call to remember and learn from it.