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The 1839 Amistad Rebellion: Captives Who Won Their Freedom in Court
The 1839 Amistad rebellion was a watershed moment in the Atlantic slave trade. Fifty-three Mende captives, led by Sengbe Pieh (known as Joseph Cinqué), seized control of the schooner La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, sparking a dramatic legal battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. This episode traces the revolt from its origins in Lomboko slave pens through the harrowing Middle Passage, the mutiny itself, and the two-year legal odyssey that pitted abolitionists like John Quincy Adams against pro-slavery President Martin Van Buren. We explore the key court arguments, the role of Spanish…
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