Teaching with Documents Lesson Plan: The Amistad Case is a part of the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Digital Classroom. This site offers scholars of all ages the opportunity to explore the actual documents important to this landmark case in human and civil rights.
Most people have, thanks to the Steven Spielberg film and through the many popular histories written about the Spanish slave ship and its human cargo, a passing knowledge of the Amistad. In brief, 53 Africans in 1839 were taken captive and transported from Sierra Leone to Cuba. En route, the captives managed to take charge of the ship, killing their captors. Led by the Mende tribesman Singbe‐Pieh (called Cinque by the Americans), the captive slaves demanded their return to Africa. Tricked by the ship's remaining crew, the Amistad wandered up the coast of North America and was eventually towed ashore to New London, Connecticut in July 1839. The plight of the would‐be slaves captured the imagination of Northern abolitionists.
The fate of the Amistad captives became a debate over the difference between free men wrongfully enslaved and slaves as real property owned by Spain. US President Martin Van Buren, to appease Southern pressure, preferred handing over the captives to Spain and condemning the Africans to lives of brutal servitude. Abolitionists, however, worked to bring the matter to the American courts. Through Federal District Court in Connecticut and eventually to the US Supreme Court in January 1841, the case of the captives was ably argued by New Haven lawyer Roger Baldwin and former US President John Quincy Adams and supported by many abolitionist sympathizers. Thirty‐five of the original captives were freed and returned to Africa in early 1842, the remainder having died during the almost two years of incarceration.
Visitors to NARA's Digital Classroom site have the pleasure of reading history from the hands of its writers. Accompanying the documents, complete with smudges, stains and crossed‐out words, are brief overviews on their meaning and relevance. These additional notes are invaluable as they are responsible for moving the lesson along and providing much‐needed context.
NARA moves beyond its granite facade, opens up its vaults and allows its history to live online and benefit learners of all ages. The Amistad Case is but one of many critical events in United States history that has been made accessible by NARA. The world community is much the richer for NARA's time and generosity.
