The Significance of La Amistad: It's Place in History

La Amistad  off Culloden Point, Long Island, New York Date: 26 August 1839 Contemporary Painting, Artist Unknown Author: Shanna Campbell La Amistad  was a ship known as a two-masted schooner, which is a type of ship defined by its rig. It was initially launched in 1839. It was owned by a Spanish national named Ramon Ferrer, who lived in Cuba. After the revolt of the Mende captives, the court case United States v. Amistad  took place, ultimately deciding that the Mende people free. La Amistad  has also been in the hands of the United States, which they acquired in 1840, and in the hands of the French, who acquired it in 1844. "Amistad" is Spanish for "friendship, which is ironic due to the legacy La Amistad  and its revolt have today. Timeline of La Amistad : 1811 : Spain abolished slavery. 28 June 1839 : La Amistad  leaves Havana for a small port near Puerto Principe, Cuba. There was some general cargo; 53 African slaves were also on board, taken from Mendiland, modern-d

Sierra Leone on the map Author: Jessica Han Sierra Leone’s slave trade was established all throughout the country. One such noted establishment was Bunce Island, which was located about twenty miles north of the Sierra Leone river (Aldrich, Jane). The British establishment of Bunce Island in Sierra Leone served as what is commonly known as a “slave castle.'' These slave castles would serve as housing units for slaves before they would be shipped out to different slave ports for sale. Bunce Island opened as a slave castle in 1670 and operated until 1807. In another article by the Hartford Courant, they argue that “tens of thousands of kidnapped Africans from that region were shipped through the facility and onto the Caribbean Islands and the colonies of South Carolina and Georgia'' (Hartford Courant). Although thousands of Africans, most likely free men and women were kidnapped. The constant demand for slaves did not stop the surge in kidnappings of freedmen and women. B

Africa on the globe Authors: Allison Khan The Africans present on La Amistad that conducted the insurrections were the Mende peoples of Sierra Leone. They traditionally lived in small rural communities and specialized in farming rice. In this society, their practices focused on the whole group, and communal education and politics were highly favored among this people group. This may help in explaining their unification onboard La Amistad to perform an uprising against their oppressors and later gain independence for themselves. The Mende peoples valued education as well as the practical application of their skills and knowledge. Unfortunately, many of these people were captured illegally and taken on ships like La Amistad and taken to places like Cuba and later different regions in the Americas. From understanding their communal living and emphasis on the education of the youth and others, historians can better piece together the inspiration and execution of their uprising on board.

Map of the Atlantic Slave Trade Author: Jessica Han The demand for slaves for the mid-to-late eighteenth century varied on a number of factors. However, with the demand for slaves skyrocketing within that time period also came with it a number of dangers and risks that were posed to the health of the slaves. This study provides information about 39 slave ships and their journey from Africa to America. This study also reports some suspected causes of death among slaves who were on these ships traveling to America. In total, 9,880 slaves occupied those 39 ships (Hogerzill, 163). These 39 ships would then travel to different slave ports throughout Africa. Although slave purchasing strategies differed per ship, there was one common strategy that slave ships used (Hogerzill, 168). While slave ships would try to purchase small amounts of slaves, the risk of these slaves dying while onboard was a grim reality. However, slaves that were bought from Sierra Leone seemed to avoid that fate (Hoger

Portrayal of Ramon Ferrer in the 1997 movie Amistad Author: Allison Khan The captain of La Amistad during the time of the insurrection was Captain Ramon Ferrer. Not much is really known about his personal life, except for the fact that there is evidence that he was married and he was working with his brother, who was also aboard the ship during the time of the revolt (Zeuske and Garcia 203). Before the La Amistad revolt Ferrer had purchased two slaves for himself, one in which he brought on board as the chef, who was later killed in the insurrection (Zeuske and Garcia 204). Although not much is further known about his personal and who he was as a person and captain, he serves as somewhat of a case study on looking at many Spaniards involved in what later becomes known as “The Underground Slave Trade” (as many Africans were illegally transported during this time). Ferrer was based in Cuba and was in charge of mainly transporting raw materials to different places throughout the Triangu

"Death of Capt. Ferrer, the Captain of the Amistad, July, 1839." Author: Adrian Lopez Before we can start discussing the Revolt we have to look at how many people were aboard the ship “La Amistad”. According to the article “ The Amistad Revolt” by Arthur Abraham, he states “ Apart from the fifty-three Africans and their Spanish owners, the schooner carried a crew comprising the master, Ferrer; his two black slaves, Antonio ( the cabin boy) and Celestino (the cook); and two white seamen.”( Abraham, 4) We can see from this quote that there were in total about 62 people aboard the La Amistad. It is important to have an understanding of how many people were aboard La Amistad because this revolt would have been more difficult to happen if there weren't as many African slaves on board. While aboard the Amistad these African slaves were being mistreated, whipped, and given little portions of food every day. It was starting to come to the point where they could not take this cons

Sierra Leone on the map Author: Jessica Han The impact that  the Amistad revolt had on Sierra Leone and the inhabitants was that Amistad returnees were in constant danger of being recaptured and sold back into slavery. In his book titled “ The Amistad Revolt : Memory, Slavery, and the Politics of Identity in the United States and Sierra Leone, author Iyunolu Osagie details that slave wars were waged in Africa order to supply the constant demand. On the other hand, abolitionists began to have influence on the Amistad survivors (Osagie, Iyunolu Folayan). As abolitionists began to reach freed men and women in Africa, it also paved the way for Christian missionaries to establish religious communities. These missionaries not only established new converts, but had also established a way for colonialism to flourish. The author notes that, “missionaries were part of the political process of creating and extending the right of European sovereignty over newly discovered lands” (Osagie, 56). The

Supreme Court on La Amistad Author: Allison Khan As La Amistad arrived in the United States the question of what to do with the remaining people on board became a prominent question. Since the Slave Trade was abolished in both the Unites States and Spain, they technically had to be declared “free citizens.” However, many people at the time did not agree with this sentiment and thus the case was taken to the Supreme Court where the Mende (African) people were represented by John Quincy Adams. In this case, Adams purported that the Africans were being wrongfully enslaved under international law, and should therefore be considered free (Nester 140). On the other hand, the appellants (represented by Henry Gilpin) purported that the insurrection was somewhat unlawful and unjustified. Over the course of two years the case finally reached a decision, and in a 7-1 majority vote the Mende people were declared free. The majority decision was given by Justice Joseph Story, and sided with the argu

Drawing of the Deck of La Amistad Date and Artist unknown Author: Shanna Campbell "A child's experience of enslavement is qualitatively different from that of an adult for a number of reasons, not least of which is that even when they are ostensibly free, as children they remained dependents and wards of others" (Lawrence, 89). The stories of children who were in enslaved families are often overlooked for the stories of the enslaved adults. It can be difficult to get the stories of children of enslaved families during this time, which is why they are often overlooked. However, in the case of La Amistad , due to its high profile, access to details around the children became easier. The Mende children on board La Amistad  were closely tied to the 1839 case, and their freedom also came into question during the trial. Lawrence, in chapter 3 of his book, discusses that children and women were the most vulnerable to "the notion that African slave status must be positioned

Cinque, The Chief of La Amistad's captives Joseph Cinquez Addressing His Compatriots on board the Spanish Schooner, Amistad