United States v. The Amistad

The Amistad processes were several court cases from 1839 to 1841 against prisoners on the ship La Amistad. The processes are regarded as an essential step towards the abolition of slavery in the United States.

La Amistad was a Spanish cargo ship in Cuba slaves took on board 1839. In a rebellion, the entire crew was killed except for two crew members by West African prisoners. Leader of the revolt was Sengbe Pieh the people of the Mende. The slaves reached independently the coast of the United States, where they were deposited and imprisoned by the U.S. Navy.

The slaves were charged with mutiny and murder. After an appeal, sought by the incumbent U.S. President Martin Van Buren, the case was transferred to the Supreme Court. The defense of the Africans took over American abolitionists, they were represented by John Quincy Adams, a former U.S. president. The process was accompanied by disputes over a Seerechtsabkommen with Spain. 1841, the defendants were acquitted because their right to personal liberty has been detected. The former slaves were traveling back to their homeland in 1842.

The eponymous film in 1997 by Steven Spielberg is working on the historical events. In Mystic, Connecticut an exact replica of the Amistad was launched from the dock in 2000. On board the ship in its home port of New Haven, Connecticut, so the location of the first-instance trial, school children are now educated about civil rights, slavery and racial discrimination.