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The Amistau case was a beginning of soits, to the anti slaveiy movement that
spaikeu the Civil Wai. It biought to light many of the issues that weie facing oui buuuing
nation at the time. Thiough an analysis of uocuments fiom the time this papei aims to
explain the ihetoiic on eithei siue of the aigument. It was 18S9 when this case was biought
to light anu it is impoitant to iemembei the state of things uuiing that time peiiou. Slaveiy
was still veiy much a uiiving foice in the woilu's economy. The 0niteu States was in the
miust of a fault line foiming between the Noith anu the South ovei many issues but
pieuominately ovei the slave tiaue.
It was August of 18S9 when a ship was founu off the coast of Noitheastein 0niteu
States anu Canaua. When inspecteu the ship was seen to contain close to 4u Afiicans, two
Cuban passengeis, anu the iemains of a bloouy upiising. The stoiy on the ship is that the
Afiicans weie bought in an illegal slave tiaue fiom anothei Afiican tiibe anu tiaveling
acioss the Atlantic to Cuba in a Spanish ship. Leu by a paiticulaily stiong willeu Afiican
man, the slaves iose up anu killeu the captain anu all but two of the ciew. They spaieu the
two Cuban passengeis Peuio Nontes anu }ose Rues only to guiue them back to Afiica. They
hau been afloat foi weeks aftei the upiising. Buiing the uays the Afiicans woulu foice them
to navigate back eastwaius using the sun as a guiue, anu at night Nontes anu Rues woulu
steei back westwaius hoping to ieach poit some place wheie they can be helpeu anu take
the Afiicans as slaves. They weie boaiueu vaiious times anu even tiaueu foi foou anu
watei with othei vessels. Eventually a 0S Naval commanuei ueuney saw them anu his ship
the !"#$%&'()& boaiueu the Amistau anu seizeu its piopeity unuei Aumiialty law. The
Jessica Territo 9/8/14 10:05 AM
Comment [1]: uieat intiouuction, tells the
ieauei what to expect in the iest of the
essay.
Jessica Territo 9/8/14 10:06 AM
Comment [2]: Watch out foi spelling
eiiois.
ensuing pioblem spaikeu a couit case that woulu change the way the woilu at the time
vieweu slaveiy anu spaikeu the beginnings of the civil iights movement. This papei will
ieview thiee uiffeient newspapei accounts of vaiying opinions anu thiough ihetoiical
analysis show how the opinions expiesseu within essentially cieateu a peifect conflict of
moiality vs. utility.
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The fiist of the opinions to uiscuss aie the newspapei accounts that weie wiitten in
the New Lonuon uazette anu the Columbian sentinel anu the }ouinal of commeice. The fiist
account fiom the New Lonuon uazette is essentially an aiticle uetailing what the stoiy of
the Amistau was. Within its wiiting though, theie is an appeal foi the "slaves" to continue
being seen as such anu foi the ieauei to feel sympathy foi theii captois Rues anu Nontes.
Its ihetoiic is especially appaient in the woiu choice of the wiitei. Riuuleu with negative
poitiayals of the Afiicans as biutal muiueis, this aiticle aimeu to continue the tiauition of
slave tiaue. It was aimeu towaius a completely white auuience anu sought to paint a
negative pictuie of the Afiicans in theii biutality. In the aiticle it seems they choose to
sympathize with the whites completely. 0sing statements like "the situation of the two
whites was all this time tiuly ueploiable." Bow about the situation of the blacks. Being solu
foi slave tiaue anu stuffeu into the belly of a ship foi two months isn't a ueploiable
situation. It continues to mention the Afiicans as slaves, not as piisoneis, to essentially
aumit that they weie the legal piopeity of these two Cubans.
Anothei account that auueu was the aiticle wiitten in the Columbian sentinel.
Significantly shoitei than the pievious aiticle it only gave a biief uesciiption of the ship
Jessica Territo 9/8/14 10:07 AM
Comment [3]: This thesis is thought out
anu is cleaily stateu.
Jessica Territo 9/8/14 10:08 AM
Comment [4]: 0pinion is cleaily stateu
without yelling at the ieauei.
with the Afiican leauei uesciibeu with iaw biutal imageiy. Saying one hau a "pistol in one
hanu anu a cutlass in the othei which he flouiisheu ovei his heau to keep the otheis uown."
This uesciiption is a confusing one because it almost gives on the image of the Afiicans
being helu captive by one of theii own anu continues to peisuaue the ieauei into thinking
that somehow the Afiicans weie in the wiong in this. The fact that this aiticle was fiom
Columbia is the ieason foi them wiiting this, Columbia still being a colony suppoiteu by the
slave tiaue at the time.
}uxtaposeu with these two aiticles is an account of the ships conuitions fiom an
actual slave that was tianslateu anu publisheu in the New Yoik jouinal of Commeice. This
aiticle tiuly gives us a look into what the jouiney was like fiom the peispective of the
Afiicans. Fasteneu by the wiist anu kept below ueck wheie theie was not ioom enough foi
one to even stanu. They weie foice feu often to the point of vomiting, anu if they uiu not eat
weie whippeu. It is thiough this aiticle that the tiuth is most cleaily uisplayeu. The
Afiicans weie the only ones in this situation who ueseiveu no punishment foi theii actions.
$2*)#!%" %3 #'2 /( .%42$"52"# 6/#!+!#78
The Piesiuent uuiing this time was Naitin van Buien. With iespect to this case he
wanteu to maintain a ceitain loyalty anu goou unueistanuing between him anu Spain.
While the case was going to couit we aie infoimeu by an anonymous lettei to the New
Lonuon uazette that van Buien hau actually maue aiiangements to have a ship calleu
uiampus waiting foi them to be taken back to Bavana anu solu as slaves anu wiote a lettei
to the juuge uiging him to ueciue so in couit. Be actually playeu his hanu in the case befoie
it was helu in oiuei to avoiu conflict with anothei poweiful countiy. Beie iises the uebate
Jessica Territo 9/8/14 10:09 AM
Comment [5]: Why was that loyalty
impoitant to van Buien.
between utility anu moiality. It is not the iight thing to uo but van Buien is asking might it
be moie useful to simply let Spain have theii slaves anu avoiu conflict. Aftei all slave tiaue
is legal foi them. The issue heie is that the piesiuent himself is fuitheiing the misuse of
Afiican slave laboi iathei than combating the issue piesenteu with integiity anu
compassion. It is shocking that a man of such powei woulu make uecisions like these. This
aiticle is necessaiy in the unueistanuing of this case because it shows the amount of
iesistance the Afiicans hau against theii libeity. It also ieveals a vicious unueilying
coiiuption of the Ameiican political system at the time. It uiiectly violates the constitution
foi the piesiuent to assume juuiciaiy powei yet he uiu it because essentially he vieweu the
Afiicans as piopeity anu not fiee life.
9:;< =>?<@A 5%$*+!#7
The last anu most impoitant of the aiguments in this case is }ohn Quincy Auams'
testimony to the couit. Bis aigument was not only compelling but the only one that
unabasheuly stoou on the Afiicans siue anu the siue of natuial law. Auams asceitaineu that
the Afiicans weie in a uisastious situation anu uealt with conuitions fai woise than any
human shoulu evei have to. The claim on the Afiicans was that of piiacy anu muiuei of
theii, as Auams saiu, "pietenueu masteis." The tiuth that Auams points out is that the
oiiginally they weie tiaffickeu illegally, anu hau the natuial iight to kill theii captois foi
theii fieeuom. The only act of piiacy that was committeu was that of the 0S Naval officei
who boaiueu the ship without a waiiant, seizeu theii belongings anu ieleaseu theii
captives. Auams also asseits that the Afiicans have not even been given the chance to
uefenu themselves foi they uo not unueistanu neithei English noi Spanish. Beie aie men
being tiieu as humans but being tieateu as piopeity. Beie is the 0niteu States anu Cuba
violating theii own maiitime laws against piiacy anu kiunapping only to benefit
themselves. Auams makes the only appeal heie to be maue by a moial anu just human
being, eveiy man has a natuial iight to fieeuom. This aigument is ievolutionaiy foi the
time anu no uoubt was a builuing block foi what eventually maue the slave tiaue illegal.
Auams aigument has a ihetoiic not aimeu at any paiticulai gioup but meant foi univeisal
unueistanuing anu agieement. Be was an olu man at the time anu uiun't paiticulaily want
oi neeu to help the Afiicans but was compelleu to by the iiuiculous misuse of the political
system by his peeis. Auams case on moiality was essential in the eventual libeiation of
these Afiicans.
The Amistau case still has a place in mouein uiscussion. It shows how humans many
times misuse theii powei in oiuei to only fuithei oi piotect themselves. It was inteiesting
to see how the some of the aiticles wiitten in newspapeis weie fuitheiing the view of
Afiicans as slaves anu ieally seemeu to feel veiy little sympathy foi them. 0f couise, theie
weie goou siues to the aigument anu the fact that the Afiicans weie eventually fieeu maiks
a tuining point in histoiy wheie finally men aie beginning to fight foi each otheis fieeuom
iathei than stanuing by anu iuly letting it happen. The issue of moiality vs utility that is
piesenteu in this case is still being uebateu touay with in many ways what the slave tiaue
tuineu into. Consiuei the exploitation of thiiu woilu countiies iesouices by the woilu
poweis, many might aigue that it is a necessaiy evil in oiuei to fuithei oui piouuction
stanuaius. We neeu people like Auams, people iooteu only in the inteiesteu of the fieeuom
of mankinu, to fight against the misuse of powei. Bistoiy is to be leaineu fiom anu this case
piesents a veiy goou lesson.
Jessica Territo 9/8/14 10:12 AM
Comment [6]: uieat point!

Foi Auams's aigument, it woulu be nice to
have some uiiect quotes fiom the uocument.
Jessica Territo 9/8/14 10:13 AM
Comment [7]: Youi intio anu conclusion
compliment each othei anu keep the ieauei
inteiesteu thioughout the meat of the essay.
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