The first people from present-day Benin to come to the modern United States were slaves and arrived in the colonial period. Most of the slaves from Benin were imported to
South Carolina (36%),
Virginia (23%), the
Gulf Coast (28%) and
Florida (9,8%). The
Clotilda slave ship took from 110 to 160 slaves from
Dahomey to
Mobile in 1859, including
Cudjo Lewis (ca. 1840–1935) and
Redoshi (c. 1848–1937), considered to be the last persons born in Africa to have been legally enslaved in the United States), in the Gulf Coast. Between 1719 and 1731, most of the slaves who came to Louisiana came directly from Benin, on ships including the
Duc du Maine. Many slaves were from the
Fon ethnic group, and others were
Nago (
Yoruba subgroup, who were enslaved mainly by Spanish settlers, when Louisiana was ruled by Spain) –
Ewe, and
Gen. Many of the slaves trafficked to what became the United States since Benin were sold by the
King of Dahomey, in the
Whydah. The slaves from what became Benin came from places including
Porto-Novo, from where were brought to the port of
Ouidah for sale, with many sent to what became the United States. The slaves brought with them their cultural practices, languages, and religious beliefs rooted in spirit and
ancestor worship, which were key elements of
Louisiana Voodoo. ==Organizations==