The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 in the

Blockade of Africa The Blockade of Africa began in 1808 after the United Kingdom outlawed the Atlantic slave trade, making it illegal for British ships to transport slaves. The Royal Navy immediately established a presence off Africa to enforce the ban, called ...

to suppress the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

along the coast of West Africa. However, the term was often ascribed generally to anti-slavery operations during the period leading up to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The squadron was an outgrowth of the 1819 treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom that was an early step in stopping the trade, and further defined by the

Webster–Ashburton Treaty The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies (the region that became Canada). Signed under John Tyler's presidency, it r ...

of 1842. Although technically coordinated with a British

West Africa Squadron The West Africa Squadron, also known as the Preventative Squadron, was a squadron of the British Royal Navy whose goal was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa. Formed in 1808 after the British Parliam ...

based in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

, in practice the American contingent worked on its own. Matthew Perry (naval officer), Matthew Perry was the first commander of the squadron, and based himself in

Portuguese Cape Verde Cape Verde was a colony of the Portuguese Empire from the initial settlement of the Cape Verde Islands in 1462 until the independence of Cape Verde in 1975. History 15th century The islands of Cape Verde was discovered in 1444 by Dom Prin ...

. The squadron was generally ineffective, since the ships were too few, and since much of the trading activity had shifted to the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...

delta area (present-day

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

), which was not being covered. In the two years of Perry's leadership, only one slaver was reported to have been captured, and that ship was later acquitted by a

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

court. In the 16 years of squadron operation, only the crews of 19

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

s went to trial. These slavers were acquitted or only lightly fined. Other commanders, however, were more successful.

African slave trade patrol

The Africa Squadron's cruising area eventually ranged from

Cape Frio Cabo Frio (, ''Cold Cape'') is a tourist destination located in the state of Rio de Janeiro state. It was founded by the Portuguese on November 13, 1615. The Brazilian coast runs east from Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio where it turns sharply nort ...

to the south (about 18 degrees south latitude), to Madeira in the north. However, the squadron's supply depot was in Cape Verde archipelago, approximately from the northernmost centers of the slave trade in the Bight of Biafra and southward. The navy department did not move the depot location until 1859, when it was set up at São Paulo de Luanda, in

Portuguese Angola Portuguese Angola refers to Angola during the historic period when it was a territory under Portuguese rule in southwestern Africa. In the same context, it was known until 1951 as Portuguese West Africa (officially the State of West Africa). I ...

, about eight degrees south latitude. At the same time the department put Madeira out of bounds for the squadron. The majority of the squadron's cruising in its first decade was along the coast of Western Africa, with particular attention to Liberian interests. By the 1850s much of the slave trade in this area had been eliminated by the British, based in their colony at

, as well as the Liberians.

Vessels seized

Africa Squadron

Source: Canney, D.L., ''Africa Squadron'', Potomac Books, 2006, pp. 233–234

References

* Richard Andrew Lobban Jr. and Peter Karibe Mendy, ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau'', 3rd ed. (Scarecrow Press, 1997 ) pp. 66–68 * {{US Squadrons Slavery in Africa United States Navy in the 19th century Ship squadrons of the United States Navy 19th century in Africa Military units and formations established in the 1840s 1843 establishments in the United States Military units and formations disestablished in 1861 Abolitionism in Africa Anti-slavery military operations

African slave trade patrol

Vessels seized

Africa Squadron

See also

References