La Amistad Insurrection Study Notes
La Amistad Insurrection Overview
Date & Location: 1839, off the coast of Cuba.
Key Events
Death of Captain Ferrer: The Captain of the Amistad died on July, 1839.
Purchase of slaves: Don Jose Ruiz and Don Pedro Monter purchased fifty-three slaves at Havana, imported from Africa, to transport to Principe, Cuba.
Insurrection details: Four days after leaving Havana, the African captives armed themselves with cane knives and revolted against Captain Ferrer and the crew.
Consequences of the Insurrection:
Captain Ferrer and the ship's cook were killed.
Two crew members escaped while Ruiz and Monter were taken prisoner by the revolting slaves.
Media Presentation
Overview of film adaptation by Steven Spielberg titled "Amistad" featuring notable actors including Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins.
Historical Context
Competing Narratives
The period featured differing perspectives:
Abolitionists advocating for the end of slavery.
Human trafficking supporters, primarily defending the business of slavery.
Statistical Context and Historical Context
Sierra Leone (British Colony) and Cuba (Spanish Colony) context for slavery and colonialism in the early 1800s.
U.S. Navy Capture: The Amistad was captured by the U.S. Navy off the Connecticut coast.
Legislation Against Slave Trade:
1807: British government outlawed slave trade.
1808: U.S. government outlawed slave trade from Africa.
1808-1860: British captured 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 African captives.
1819-1861: U.S. Africa Squadron seized numerous slave ships.
Early Legislative History
Constitutional Convention of 1787:
Intensely debated the issue of slavery.
1800 Congressional Act: Made it illegal for Americans to engage in the slave trade and allowed seizure of slave ships.
Effective 1808: The Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves.
The Amistad Trial
Criminal Charges Against the Amistad Africans
Date: September, 1839.
Charges:
Murder
Piracy
Trial Location: U.S. Federal Court in Hartford, Connecticut.
Case Reference: United States v. Schooner Amistad, first tried as an admiralty case decided by a judge.
Competing Claims in Court
Queen Isabella II of Spain:
Claimed the slaves must be returned based on
The 1795 U.S.-Spanish treaty (Pinckney's Treaty).
Involved parties: Don Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montez.
Pinckney's Treaty (1795)
Key Provisions:
Article 9 states that all goods rescued from pirates must be returned to owners.
Key Advocate: Angel Calderón, Spanish Diplomatic Envoy.
Political Pressures and Influences
President Martin Van Buren's Political Maneuvering
Van Buren, a Democrat from New York, faced pressure to secure a guilty verdict to maintain Southern political relationships.
He openly supported Spanish claims and the 1795 treaty commitments.
Legal Representation and Charges
Legal Defense:
Funds were provided by Northern Abolitionists, including legal defense attorney Roger S. Baldwin.
Initial representation sought from former President John Quincy Adams, who declined.
Northern Abolitionists and Activism
Abolitionism Movement Emergence:
Key publication: "The Liberator" founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831.
Notable event: Garrison faced mob violence in 1835.
Arguments in Court
Baldwin’s Defense Strategy
Key Argument: Prove the captives were born in Africa and therefore illegally acquired.
Competing narrative: Opponents claimed they were born in Cuba and were slaves.
Notable proponents of this narrative: Prosecution, Southern Democrats, and the Spanish government.
Shift in the Judicial Branch
Judicial Influence from Executive Branch: Van Buren influenced trial outcomes by persuading judicial shifts, including replacing the judge.
Calhoun's Advocacy for Southern Interests
John Calhoun's role:
Advocated for a guilty verdict to protect Southern interests during the Amistad case.
Argued in favor of slavery as a