Amistad (ship)

:This article is about the historical ship. For other meanings see Amistad.

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La Amistad (Spanish: friendship) was a Spanish merchant ship on which a rebellion by the slaves it was carrying broke out in 1839 when the schooner was travelling along the coast of Cuba. The ship was taken over by a group of Africans who had been kidnapped in Africa and illegally sold into slavery. The Africans were later apprehended on the vessel near Long Island, New York by the United States Navy and taken into custody. The ensuing widely publicized court cases in the United States helped the abolitionism movement along. In 1841, a federal trial court found that the initial transport of the Africans across the Atlantic had been illegal and that they were not legally slaves but free; after being affirmed on March 9, 1841 by the United States Supreme Court on appeal, the Africans travelled home in 1842.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Merchant ship - Slaves - 1839 - Schooner - Cuba - Africa - Slavery - Long Island, New York - United States Navy - United States - Abolitionism - 1841 - Atlantic - March 9 - United States Supreme Court - 1842

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