In 1839, 53 illegally purchased enslaved African were being transported from Cuba. They broke free, killed the ship’s captain and took control of their ship with the aim of sailing back to Africa. The crew they had spared, however, sailed in the opposite direction at night time and on 26 August 1839 the schooner was discovered off the coast at New York. The enslaved people were arrested and so began a long legal battle between the United States and Spain (according to documents from Cuba, the enslaved people were the property of Spanish subjects), and between abolitionists and the American government. This letter from John Quincy Adams to Roger Gilpin details his receipt of letters containing the particulars of the Amistad Case and expresses his feelings on being requested to appear as one of the counsel for “these unfortunate men”.

The enslaved Africans were brought to trial on charges of mutiny and murder, first before the district judge of Connecticut, then at the Circuit Court, which ruled that they had no jurisdiction to consider the criminal charges as the mutiny had occurred in international waters, whilst avoiding dealing with the slavery aspect of the case. The plight of the Africans provided an opportunity for local abolitionists, including merchant Lewis Tappan, who formed the Amistad Committee and enlisted the legal help of New Haven lawyer and fervent opponent of slavery, Roger Baldwin. He represented their defence at the Circuit Court and then at the District Court when the case was passed on. During the trial, President Martin Van Buren had ordered a naval schooner to be waiting in New Haven harbor, ready to take the enslaved people straight to Cuba should the court rule in the government’s favor, as was expected. Thanks to the arguments and evidence provided by Baldwin, however, this court ruled that they had been captured illegally, were nobody’s property and could not be held accountable for their actions in trying to free themselves. They were to be free to return to Africa. The Administration appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn this decision.

At this point, Lewis Tappan visited former President, John Quincy Adams, to persuade him to argue the Africans’ case in Washington. Although he initially refused on grounds of his advanced age and ill-health, he did eventually agree to join Roger Baldwin in court as there is “no higher object upon earth of ambition than to occupy that position.” On 22 February 1841, both sides began to present their arguments to the Supreme Court. Attorney General Henry Gilpin, representing the government, argued that it was wrong to question the validity of the Amistad’s papers as this was disrespectful of Spain. John Quincy Adams addressed the issue of slavery and America’s part in colluding with slave traders instead of enforcing the rights and liberties of mankind. In March 1841 the Supreme Court announced its decision: the Africans had been kidnapped and were therefore entitled to their freedom by the laws of Spain as well as the U.S. Their decision did imply however, that had the men been brought from Africa prior to the 1817 Anglo-Spanish treaty banning importation of enslaved people to Spanish colonies by 1820, they would have been considered to be the property of the traders and returned to Cuba.

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