In February of 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. This abduction violated all of the treaties then in existence. Fifty-three Africans were purchased by two Spanish planters and put aboard the Cuban schooner Amistad for shipment to a Caribbean plantation. On July 1, 1839, the Africans seized the ship, killed the captain and the cook, and ordered the planters to sail to Africa. On August 24, 1839, the Amistad was seized off Long Island, NY, by the U.S. brig Washington. The planters were freed and the Africans were imprisoned in New Haven, CT, 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.

United States v. Cinque and the Africans, Warrant for Habeas Corpus, 11/19/1839. National Archives Identifier 2641484.

President Van Buren was in favor of extraditing the Africans to Cuba. However, abolitionists in the North opposed extradition and raised money to defend the Africans. Claims to the Africans by the planters, the government of Spain, and the captain of the brig led the case to trial in the Federal District Court in Connecticut. The district court ruled that the case fell within Federal jurisdiction and that the claims to the Africans as property were not legitimate because they were illegally held as slaves. The U.S. District Attorney filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.

This case file contains the records filed in the "Amistad" case. In the trial before the Supreme Court in January 1841, the Africans were represented by former U.S. President John Quincy Adams. Preparing for his appearance before the Court, Adams requested papers from the lower courts one month before the proceedings opened. For 8 ½ hours, the 73-year-old Adams passionately and eloquently defended the Africans' right to freedom on both legal and moral grounds, referring to treaties prohibiting the slave trade and to the Declaration of Independence.

John Quincy Adams' Request for Papers Relating to the Lower Court Trials of the Amistad Africans [Petition for Certioriari], 1841. National Archives Identifier 301671

The Supreme Court decided in favor of the Africans, stating that they were free individuals. Kidnapped and transported illegally, they had never been slaves. Senior Justice Joseph Story wrote and read the decision: "It was the ultimate right of all human beings in extreme cases to resist oppression, and to apply force against ruinous injustice." The opinion asserted the Africans' right to resist "unlawful" slavery. The Court ordered the immediate release of the Amistad Africans, and 35 of them were returned to their homeland. The others died at sea or in prison while awaiting trial.

You can learn more about this case, and find teaching activities and related primary sources for educators on our website.  And see our latest Google Arts & Culture exhibit about the Amistad case:  

Want to help make these records more discoverable? Help us transcribe records from the Amistad case in our newest mission on the Citizen Archivist dashboard! Every word you transcribe improves search functionality in our Catalog and helps to unlock history.

We love being surrounded by delicious and decadent treats this time of year, but we suspect this 200 Year Old Pound Cake Recipe might tip the holiday scale with all the butter, sugar, eggs, and flour it calls for!

This cake recipe was passed down through the Truman family, and shared with Bess Truman by Mary Ethel and Nellie Noland, cousins of Harry S. Truman.

Want to see more recipes from the archives? For more delicious and historic recipes this holiday season, be sure to follow #ArchivesCookieExchange on the @USNatArchives Instagram account. Recipes and stories will be shared each week in December.

Have you tried this pound cake recipe, or any others from our holdings? Let us know how they turn out! Happy vintage baking!