List of last survivors of American slavery facts for kids

Slavery was a terrible system where people were treated as property and forced to work without pay. It existed in the United States from when the country was founded in 1776. This unfair system finally ended completely on December 5, 1865, when the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed. This amendment made slavery illegal everywhere in the country.

Even after slavery ended, many people who had been enslaved lived for many more years. This article shares stories about some of the last known survivors who were born into slavery or lived through it before it was abolished. It's sometimes hard to know their exact birth dates because enslaved people often didn't have official birth records.

Stories of Last Survivors

Many brave individuals lived long lives after experiencing slavery. Here are some of their stories.

Anna J. Cooper

Anna J. Cooper was an important writer and activist.

Anna J. Cooper was born into slavery in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1858. Even though she started life enslaved, she became a very important academic and activist. She worked hard for education and civil rights for African Americans and women. She passed away in 1964, having lived to be 105 years old.

Fountain Hughes

Fountain Hughes shared his life story with the Library of Congress.

Fountain Hughes was born in 1859 and became free in 1865 after the American Civil War. He was a descendant of Betty Hemings, who was enslaved at Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. In 1949, when he was 90 years old, Fountain Hughes was interviewed by the Library of Congress. He shared his memories of life as an enslaved person. This interview is a very important historical record, and you can listen to it online today. He died in 1957.

William Andrew Johnson

William Andrew Johnson met President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

William Andrew Johnson was born in 1858. He is believed to be the last person who was enslaved by a U.S. President, Andrew Johnson. In 1937, he even visited President FDR at the White House. William Andrew Johnson lived until 1943.

Survivors of the Last Slave Ship

The Clotilda was the very last slave ship to bring enslaved people from Africa to America. It arrived secretly in Alabama in 1859 or 1860, even though bringing new enslaved people to the U.S. was illegal. Some of the last known survivors of this ship lived for many decades.

Redoshi, also known as Sally Smith.

Redoshi, also known as Sally Smith, was born in Africa around 1848. She was brought to America on the Clotilda. She lived until 1937.

Delia Garlic was interviewed about her life.

Delia Garlic was born in Virginia around 1837. She was interviewed in the late 1930s and was said to be 100 years old at the time. She also lived until at least 1937.

Cudjoe Lewis was one of the last survivors of the Clotilda.

Cudjoe Lewis was born in Africa around 1841 and was also brought to America on the Clotilda. He was one of the last known survivors of this ship. He passed away in 1935.

Matilda McCrear was another survivor of the Clotilda. She was born in 1857 and died in January 1940, making her the last known survivor of that ship.

Other Notable Survivors

Elizabeth Cash Green was born in Midland, Georgia in 1862. She moved to Arkansas in 1882 and lived until 1975, dying at 112 years old.

Peter Mills was born in Prince George's County, Maryland in 1861. He died in 1972 after an accident in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Mary Hardway Walker was born in 1848. She reportedly lived to be 121 years old, learning to read at age 116! She passed away in 1969.

Jeff Doby was born in Camden, South Carolina in 1858. He was believed to be the oldest living person in South Carolina in 1961 and one of the last former slaves in the state. He died in 1963 at 105 years old.

See also

• List of slaves
• Peter Fossett, said to be the last survivor of enslavement by Thomas Jefferson