Amistad Questions
Amistad Questions Sierra Drummond
1) Who were the main characters in Amistad?
Cinque, Roger S. Baldwin, Theodore Joadwin, Tappan, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren
2) What was the time period (year) in history Amistad existed? 1839
3) Describe the dynamics of the slave ship Amistad during the Middle Passage.
Desperate, fearful, and stressed
Absolute treachery, 50 thrown overboard, women were raped, men were mutilated
Natives took over through force during a slave uprising
Power struggles take place between native leaders and two Spaniards, who promise to take them home, but instead they are led west rather than east
4) What role did England play in the Slave trade during this period?
England had abolished slavery at this point making it illegal to take slaves from West Africa
They patrolled the Ivory Coast searching for slave ships (who would throw slaves overboard to hide evidence)
5) What tribe did Cinque and his colleagues hail from?
Mende
6) What role did South America, Cuba and the Caribbean Islands play in the Amistad saga?
Cuba- prosecution trying to send them to be executed in Havana, Cuba, also claimed to have taken slaves from plantations in Cuba (therefore allowing them to be slaves, since born on Cuban plantation)
7) What was President Adam’s position of the Amistad transaction?
Originally claimed to be neither friend nor foe of the abolitionist movement also Joadwin points out that his records comfirm he is an “advocate fro the abolition of slavery”
He then advises Baldwin to discover the tribes story, “whoever tells them the best story wins” which helps them win the state trial
He is the leading attorney in the Supreme Court case, using Cinque’s words to win the trial
8) Discuss the litigation process that Cinque and his colleagues experienced.
During imprisonment, Cinque and family’s main priority is to get back to family and home, suffers extreme brutality
Shares story through Mende translation
First judge agreed with them, van buren replaced
1) Who were the main characters in Amistad?
Cinque, Roger S. Baldwin, Theodore Joadwin, Tappan, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren
2) What was the time period (year) in history Amistad existed? 1839
3) Describe the dynamics of the slave ship Amistad during the Middle Passage.
Desperate, fearful, and stressed
Absolute treachery, 50 thrown overboard, women were raped, men were mutilated
Natives took over through force during a slave uprising
Power struggles take place between native leaders and two Spaniards, who promise to take them home, but instead they are led west rather than east
4) What role did England play in the Slave trade during this period?
England had abolished slavery at this point making it illegal to take slaves from West Africa
They patrolled the Ivory Coast searching for slave ships (who would throw slaves overboard to hide evidence)
5) What tribe did Cinque and his colleagues hail from?
Mende
6) What role did South America, Cuba and the Caribbean Islands play in the Amistad saga?
Cuba- prosecution trying to send them to be executed in Havana, Cuba, also claimed to have taken slaves from plantations in Cuba (therefore allowing them to be slaves, since born on Cuban plantation)
7) What was President Adam’s position of the Amistad transaction?
Originally claimed to be neither friend nor foe of the abolitionist movement also Joadwin points out that his records comfirm he is an “advocate fro the abolition of slavery”
He then advises Baldwin to discover the tribes story, “whoever tells them the best story wins” which helps them win the state trial
He is the leading attorney in the Supreme Court case, using Cinque’s words to win the trial
8) Discuss the litigation process that Cinque and his colleagues experienced.
During imprisonment, Cinque and family’s main priority is to get back to family and home, suffers extreme brutality
Shares story through Mende translation
First judge agreed with them, van buren replaced