Amistad Revolt In 1839 there was a slave rebellion of 53 Mendeans men, women and children from the West coast of Africa where they had been kidnapped and then illegally transported to Cuba. They were placed aboard a schooner, Amistad, for transshipment to Cuban sugar plantations. The captives seized the vessel and sought to sail to Africa. Instead the ship was sailed, by two Cubans Ruiz and Montes which the Mendeans kept alive to sail the ship, up the coast of the United States.
Amistad sailed along the United States coast until it was stopped by the US Washington off Montauk Point, NY. The ensuing trial in New Haven, Connecticut, epitomized the clash between freedom and slavery in the United States. The case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court where former President John Quincy Adams argued for the Africans freedom. They won their liberty and eventually returned to their homes in Africa (Hunt 1971, 3-6).
Our present American History textbook doesn t include the Amistad Revolt. The Amistad Revolt should be included in future editions of American History textbook because the Amistad Revolt is an inspirational story, effect both blacks and whites, and changed the course of American History. The Amistad Revolt is a very important event in American History and it can t be ignored no longer. The Amistad Revolt is a great inspirational story for anyone. This story reaches the high point of slavery stories, along with Harriet Tubman and the underground railroads.
The Essay on Summery of the movie “Amistad”
Amistad The summery of the movie Amistad The story of the Amistad is quite a tale of Freedom. The movie depicts how the situation in American and Europe was at the time. The movie opens on the ship the Amistad in a great storm at sea with an African who breaks lose of his shekels with a nail. He begins to free most of the slaves around him from their shekels. They break into boxes gathering ...
Weather you are black or white, male or female, this is a story that is perfect for the textbook. When a story ends like the Amistad Revolt does, the Mendeans winning the case, it makes anyone feel good. Reading a story like this one gives you that feeling, like you are floating on air. Just for that fiv minutes that you are reading the story you don t think about anything else. You don t think about the problems you have or the things you have to do later. All that you are thinking about is how great of a story, with a great ending.
You want to be there to testify for the Mendeans, it is just a really good story. The black insurrection of the Mend i on the Amistad excites out admiration for oppressed people willing to give their lives that their brothers and sisters might live (Blassingame 1992, 1).
There is not a single person I know who wouldn t enjoy this story, even with its historical importance. There is no doubt that this should be in the American History textbooks. The Amistad Rebellion effected both blacks and whites. The Amistad Revolt invites celebration of the possibilities of blacks and whites, Americans and Africans, reaching across the chasms of color, racism, suppression, and differences in language to grasp liberty (Blassingame 1992, 1).
If you where a slave in 1839 it would be horrible. Slaves weren t even close to becoming free. Yes there was an abolitionist group but it wasn t too successful. Slaves had no hope at all.
The were scared to escape because of consequences if caught. There were no slaves becoming free in any form at all. When the slaves heard about the Amistad Revolt. When they heard about how they successfully took over a ship, went all the way to the Supreme Court and won. And got there freedom, and got to go home. To top it off it all the trials took place in the United States, their home.
This event made slaves and any African Americans have hope. That there is a chance that one day they might be free. For some of the slaves who gave up and had no hope left in them, this event gave them hope. The Mendeans winning their freedom shows the slaves that things are changing, slavery is becoming less and less popular among everyone in the United States. The African Americans were not the only ones effects buy the Amistad Revolt, it effected the white people also. Form the North to the South all white people where effected by the Amistad Revolt.
The Essay on Slavery In American History
Slavery in American HistoryThe Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 by ThomasJefferson under order of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and theContinental Congress. This document was written in order to let the wholeworld know that the colonists of the United States of America were going todenounce the British Government in order to establish a democraticgovernment of their own. The ...
I am not saying all white people suddenly became against slavery, because that is not the case. Everyone heard about he Amistad Revolt. A lot of people changed their minds about slavery. Many Americans learned about he cruelties of the slave trade form the testimony of Cinque and the other captives (Lehrman 1998, 1).
The trials encouraged many people to join the abolitionists (Lehrman 1998, 1).
Many white people realized that slavery was wrong.
Now this was not the case in the South as much as in the North. The South was extremely anger over the Amistad Revolt. They were angry over the revolt and then the Mendeans winning their freedom. The Amistad incident brought more tension between the North and the South. The Amistad Revolt effected both blacks and whites very much when it occurred. This shows it is important enough to be put in the American History Textbooks.
The Amistad Revolt changed the course of American History. The Amistad Revolt effected the slavery issue in a very big way. Recent publications prove that Amistad is the most important legal case dealing with slavery before Dred Scott (Lehrman 1998, 1).
This case changed many peoples minds, both black and white, and gave hope to slaves. The abolitionists rose to the occasion and showed they could be successful. The Amistad trail came at a very important time, when slavery continued to expand in the American South and abolitionists by moral persuasion had apparently failed (Lehrman 1998, 1).
The trails changed America and the abolitionist movement (Lehrman 1998, 1).
The trials encouraged abolitionists to shift their tactics from persuasion to political and legal agitation. That agitation would arouse increasing numbers of Americans against the immorality of slavery (Lehrman 1998, 1).
What if the Amistad Revolt never occurred.
Not as many people would have changed there minds about slavery. The abolitionists might have never became as strong as they did because of the Amistad Rebellion. Also the Amistad Rebellion was the first big trial that resulted in favor of African s in the United States. The Amistad Revolt also was the first major event that proved slavery was wrong. This was a major victory for the slaves. If the Amistad Revolt and the trials never happened the blacks wouldn t have any big victories in the court rooms of the United States.
The Essay on African American Slavery
America is a racial country, which consists of many different nation people. In the period of 17th and 18th century, Africans were the main colonials in American. By the American Revolution, 20 percent of the overall population in the thirteen colonies was of African descent. The legalized practice of enslaving blacks occurred in every colony. ' American's Journey Through Slavery, the first ...
Slavery might have also lasted longer with out the Amistad Revolt changing people s minds and bringing more tension between the North and the South. The Amistad Revolt changed the course of American History, therefore it belongs in the American History textbooks. In conclusion, the Amistad Revolt should be included in future editions of American History textbooks because the Amistad Revolt is an inspirational story, effected both blacks and whites, and the changed the course of American History. These three reason are three of many reasons. No matter how you look at this topic, it points toward the right decision.
The Amistad Revolt was wrongly ignored in current American History textbooks. Every American History textbook throughout the United States should include the Amistad Revolt.
