The Amistad Case and the Abolitionist Movement of America - Essay Example

The Amistad case was a US Supreme Court hearing that resulted from the rebellion of Africans aboard a Spanish schooner named La Amistad in 1839. The case is one of the most important in the fight against slavery in the Western world in history since it revolved around both international policies and US law. The thirty-six Africans aboard the ship had been kidnapped illegally in Sierra Leone, by Spanish men Ruiz and Montez, to be sold into slavery in Cuba. Before seizing control of the ship, the Africans, led by Singbe-Pi alias Cinque, killed the captain and the cook, while two crew members escaped on the ship’s lifeboat. The remaining crew, however, tricked the escapees and sailed them to Long Island, New York (instead of Africa) where they were apprehended by the Coastal authorities.

What followed was a legal roller coaster that would greatly strengthen the American-based National Abolition Movement, an organization that advocated against slavery. In the legal proceedings, which took place in New London, Ruiz, and Montes requested that the schooner, its cargo, and the Africans be given to the Spanish consul. The Africans were then charged with murder and mutiny and transported to New Haven for jailing as they awaited trial. The abolitionists stood on the Africans’ sides and offered to defend them, where they formed the Amistad committee comprised of several prominent abolitionists like Lewis Tappan, Reverend Joshua Leavitt, and Simeon S. Jocelyn. They further sought out interpreters for the Africans, composed a legal team for their defense, and provided food and housing for them (Barnes et al 93).

Since it was the first ever case of a cargo ship mutiny by slaves, it attracted extra media attention, which translated into extra support for the abolitionists and thus they received some extra funding. The heightened coverage of the case by the people enhanced refreshed awareness of the ill effects of slavery, which led to more support of the abolitionists and more members joining the movement. The Africans won the case and were released to return to their homeland in Africa. By the end of the proceedings, the American Abolitionist Movement was a much more powerful and influential force in US society (Upchurch 64).