Agassiz sought pure African types whose importation had been illegal since 1808

Evidence

Compelled to prove his theories, Agassiz traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, to meet with the naturalist Robert W. Gibbes, who took him to several plantations where Gibbes had identified several men who were African-born—Agassiz wanted “pure types” not yet mixed with American blood. Ellie points out in her article that this was not easy to find in 1850, since the importation of slaves was made illegal in 1808. She even noted in her piece that “some of those who Agassiz examined must have been smuggled into America as part of the illicit trade that continued until the Civil War.” — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 747

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s broader knowledge of American slavery chronology and the persistence of the illegal slave trade post-1808.