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What's New?

Records of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (Record Group 276) that had been housed at the National Archives at Boston, have been moved to the National Archives at Kansas City. You can check the availability status of these records by contacting the National Archives at Kansas City. Learn more

Now on Google Arts & Culture:

Trial of a Century: La Amistad

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Warrant for Habeas Corpus, September 21, 1839

This warrant for habeas corpus concerning Cinque and his fellow Africans of the Schooner La Amistad was filed in the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut, seated at Hartford.

In February 1839, Portuguese slave hunters abducted a large group of Africans from Sierra Leone and shipped them to Havana, Cuba, a center for the slave trade, violating all treaties then in existence. Fifty-three Africans were purchased by two Spanish planters and put aboard the Cuban schooner La Amistad for shipment to a Caribbean plantation. On July 1, the Africans seized the ship, killed the captain and the cook, and ordered the planters to sail to Africa. On August 24, La Amistad was seized off Long Island, New York by the U.S. Navy brig Washington. The planters were freed and the Africans were imprisoned in New Haven, Connecticut on charges of murder. Although the murder charges were dismissed, the Africans continued to be held in confinement as the focus of the case turned to salvage claims and property rights. While U.S. President Martin Van Buren favored extradition of the Africans to Cuba, abolitionists in the North opposed extradition and raised money to defend the Africans. With multiple property claims made to the Africans by the planters, the government of Spain, and the Washington's commander, Lt. Thomas R. Gedney, USN, the case went to Federal court trial in Connecticut. The court ruled that it had standing to hear the case and that property claims to the Africans were illegitimate because they were illegally held as slaves. In January 1841, the Supreme Court of the United States heard the appeal of the case, with former President John Quincy Adams representing the defendants. The Supreme Court decided in favor of the Africans, 35 of whom were returned to their homeland. The others died at sea or in prison while awaiting trial.

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