The Amistad case of 1839 occurred due to the forceful enslavement of Africans kidnapped by the Spanish and taken to Havana, Cuba, which was widely known for the slave trade. Two Spanish owners of large plantations, Pedro Montes and Jose Ruiz together were able to purchase 53 slaves and put them aboard a ship that would ship them to the Caribbean region where the plantations were[1]. The abduction and trading of slaves went against the treaties signed, outlawing the slave trade after the US gained independence. During the transportation of the slaves, the Africans overpowered the captain and his crew and forced them to sail toward Africa[2]. The plantation owners steered the Amistad north and ended up being by the US. The owners of the plantation were freed, but the Africans were imprisoned. They were later freed, although the case continued as they were still confined[3]. The case sought to determine whether the Africans were free of the murder charges against them. With the help of John Quincy Adams, who was passionate about the case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Africans, stating that they were right to rise against the oppression of plantation owners[4]. The court also decided that the Africans were free and should be taken back home instead of being confined against their wishes.

The case described a turning point for the concept of slave trade in the 19^th century. The history of the case has been articulated well, with proof of case proceedings written down during the case. Through the case, it is possible to understand how it affected the Africans and the freedom they would enjoy in the subsequent years[5]. The decision of the court implied that the slave trade would end and that the Africans would get to enjoy their rights to life and return to their motherland. The decision was based on the fact that the Africans were captured against their wish, and the violence against those that captured them was a way of fighting for their rights. In defense of the Africans, the abolitionists argued that  “…each of them is natives of Africa and were born free, and ever since have been and still of right are and ought to be free and not slaves.”[6] The creation of this case was essential in setting the record straight so that everyone worldwide would understand that they had to abide by all the treaties signed after the abolition of the slave trade. Going through the case, one can note an analysis of what occurred during the 19^th century regarding the slave trade[7]. One also gets to understand how the US was involved in a case that did not involve them in the first place[8]. The arguments made in the case also present learners with information on how legal arguments are made. The case also makes one understand what transpired during the period and how the Amistad rebellion began[9]. The case can be used to understand that the 19^th century was a period of change as the abolitionists in North America were willing to use their skills and resources to ensure that the practice of the slave trade would come to an end.

The description of the Amistad case is a concept that can be trusted to paint a real picture of what led to the case. The source is also essential in enabling one to analyze the case so that one can decide the extent to which the ruling by the Supreme Court was fair to the Africans. The source shows that the Amistad case was an important occurrence in the lives of Africans because it prevented a re-occurrence of the slave trade that continued even though the practice had been outlawed.

[1] National Archives. The Amistad Case, https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/amistad accessed June, 13 2023.

[3]Sherwood, Marika. “Britain, the slave trade and slavery, 1808-1843.” Race & Class, 46, no. 2 (2004), 54–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306396804047726

[4] National Archives. The Amistad Case, https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/amistad accessed June, 13 2023.

[5]Osagie, IyunoluFolayan. The Amistad Revolt: Memory, Slavery, and the Politics of Identity in the United States and Sierra Leone. University of Georgia Press, 2000. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46nmr4.

[6] National Archives. The Amistad Case, https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/amistad accessed June 13, 2023.

[7] David, Shi, America – A Narrative History, Brief Twelfth Edition, Volume 1. (W. W. Norton & Company, 2022), 56.

[8]Jesús, Sanjurjo. “New approaches to the slave trade, slavery, abolition and emancipation across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.” Atlantic Studies, 17, no. 3 (2020), 297-301, DOI: 10.1080/14788810.2020.1760019

[9]Rediker, Marcus. “The African Origins of the Amistad Rebellion, 1839.” International Review of Social History 58, no. S21 (2013): 15-34. doi:10.1017/S0020859013000242

Bibliography

David, Shi, America – A Narrative History, Brief Twelfth Edition, Volume 1. W. W. Norton & Company, 2022.

Jesús, Sanjurjo. “New approaches to the slave trade, slavery, abolition and emancipation across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.” Atlantic Studies, 17, no. 3 (2020), 297-301, DOI: 10.1080/14788810.2020.1760019

National Archives. The Amistad Case, https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/amistad accessed June 13, 2023.

Osagie, IyunoluFolayan. The Amistad Revolt: Memory, Slavery, and the Politics of Identity in the United States and Sierra Leone. University of Georgia Press, 2000. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46nmr4.

Rediker, Marcus. “The African Origins of the Amistad Rebellion, 1839.” International Review of Social History 58, no. S21 (2013): 15-34. doi:10.1017/S0020859013000242

Sherwood, Marika. “Britain, the slave trade and slavery, 1808-1843.” Race & Class, 46, no. 2 (2004), 54–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306396804047726