On this episode of Our American Stories, Nathaniel Gordon of Portland, Maine, holds the distinction of being the only American ever executed for the crime of slave trading. Although many were caught in the act, sentences were often lenient, and most slave traders knew they had little to fear—until Abraham Lincoln. Jonathan W. White, author of Shipwrecked: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade, shares the story of the man Lincoln refused to pardon—and explains why. Special thanks to the U.S. National Archives for this audio, taken from an online lecture Dr. White gave.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Nathaniel Gordon of Portland, Maine, holds the distinction of being the only American ever executed for the crime of slave trading. Although many were caught in the act, sentences were often lenient, and most slave traders knew they had little to fear&mdash;until Abraham Lincoln. Jonathan W. White, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FShipwrecked-Civil-Mutinies-Jailbreaks-Blockade-Running%2Fdp%2F1538175010&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C448a55be356a4f7b7e3208dd8e537ebc%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C638823211436040776%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ZO3mMxTSeVd2nf%2F73HHfsBIJhK2zSUygvlbIH%2ByXic4%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Shipwrecked: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade</a>, shares the story of the man Lincoln refused to pardon&mdash;and explains why. Special thanks to the U.S. National Archives for this audio, taken from an online lecture Dr. White gave.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate</a>)

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

The Slave Trader Abraham Lincoln Refused to Pardon

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/08427605-3194-4a88-bfd8-b2d701484a85/transcript

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