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One hundred and seventy-five years ago, on August 25, 1839, La Amistad sat in New London Harbor.
Nearby the US revenue cutter Washington, which had just intercepted La Amistad off Montauk, New York, held the Amistad captives under US custody.
On that day, New London grocer Dwight Plimpton Janes managed to get aboard the cutter for the initial legal hearing, and noticed that the captives were speaking in their native language. In fact, the Spaniard Jose Ruiz, one of the Amistad's owners, mentioned to Janes that none of them spoke Spanish or English because they were 'just from Africa.' This comment was enough to convince Mr. Janes, an ardent abolitionist, that the captives were freeborn Africans, not Cuban slaves as the Spaniards claimed, and that the owners were breaking international law. Back onshore, Dwight Janes wrote to several prominent abolitionists: Roger S. Baldwin, a New Haven lawyer; Joshua Leavitt, editor of The Emancipator; and Lewis Tappan, a silk merchant. This action set into motion the sequence of events resulting in the first US Supreme Court cast to set enslaved people free.
Approximately one in 10 ships taking part in the slave trade experienced a revolt. La Amistad may have joined the ranks of these lesser-known incidents were it not for the advocacy efforts of one New London resident who stood up for the cause of freedom.
Please join Amistad America and New London Maritime Society on the Amistad Pier in New London to commemorate this important anniversary and turning point in the history of human rights. The event will take place on Monday, August 25, at 6 PM.
To further commemorate the anniversary, Amistad America plans to have the Freedom Schooner Amistad at New London's Amistad Pier from Saturday, August 23, through Monday, August 25, 2015. Two three-hour lighthouse sails are planned, on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 PM.
The trip is FREE for the first 40 New London residents to pre-register, and $30 donation for all others. These sails carry 40 passengers.
Ticket sales end at 9 AM on the day of the trip.
Day-of tickets will be on a first-come basis, after the pre-registered list.
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LocationFreedom Schooner Amistad (View)
Amistad Pier, Waterfront Park
New London, CT 06320
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 6 |
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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