{"product_id":"9780312343477","title":"The Wanderer: The Last American Slave Ship and the Conspiracy That Set Its Sails","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn Nov. 28, 1858, a ship called the \u003ci\u003eWanderer\u003c\/i\u003e slipped silently into a coastal channel and unloaded a cargo of over 400 African slaves onto Jekyll Island, Georgia, fifty years after the African slave trade had been made illegal. It was the last ship ever to bring a cargo of African slaves to American soil. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eWanderer\u003c\/i\u003e began life as a luxury racing yacht, but within a year was secretly converted into a slave ship, and--using the pennant of the New York Yacht Club as a diversion--sailed off to Africa. More than a slaving venture, her journey defied the federal government and hurried the nation's descent into civil war. The \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e first reported the story as a hoax; as groups of Africans began to appear in the small towns surrounding Savannah, however, the story of the \u003ci\u003eWanderer\u003c\/i\u003e began to leak out, igniting a fire of protest and debate that made headlines throughout the nation and across the Atlantic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the story shifts from New York City to Charleston, to the Congo River, Jekyll Island and finally Savannah, the \u003ci\u003eWanderer's\u003c\/i\u003e tale is played out in the slave markets of Africa, the offices of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times,\u003c\/i\u003e heated Southern courtrooms, The White House, and some of the most charming homes Southern royalty had to offer. In a gripping account of the high seas and the high life in New York and Savannah, Erik Calonius brings to light one of the most important and little remembered stories of the Civil War period.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St. Martin's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47009942601968,"sku":"9780312343477","price":25.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780312343477_p0.jpg?v=1763760052","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780312343477","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}