United States v. The Amistad
E675271
United States v. The Amistad is an 1841 U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of African captives who had revolted aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad, recognizing their right to fight for their freedom.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Amistad case | 2 |
| La Amistad mutiny | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
U.S. Supreme Court case
ⓘ
landmark decision ⓘ legal case ⓘ |
| appealedFrom | United States Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| chiefJustice | Roger B. Taney NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| citation | 40 U.S. (15 Pet.) 518 ⓘ |
| concernsEvent | 1839 revolt aboard the schooner La Amistad ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| courtTerm | January Term 1841 ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1841-03-09 ⓘ |
| fullCaseName | The United States, Appellants, v. The Libellants and Claimants of the Schooner Amistad NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasDepictionIn | 1997 film "Amistad" NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasJurisdiction | Supreme Court of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| holding |
African captives aboard La Amistad were illegally enslaved
ⓘ
African captives had the right to use force to secure their freedom ⓘ Africans were not property under U.S. law in this case ⓘ Africans were to be freed and allowed to return to Africa ⓘ |
| impact |
limited recognition of foreign claims to enslaved persons in U.S. courts
ⓘ
strengthened legal arguments of American abolitionists ⓘ |
| involvesParty |
African captives from Sierra Leone
ⓘ
Spanish claimants ⓘ United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| involvesVessel | La Amistad NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| languageOfOpinion | English ⓘ |
| legalIssue |
international law
ⓘ
maritime law ⓘ property rights in persons ⓘ slavery ⓘ treaty interpretation ⓘ |
| locationOfLowerCourtProceedings | New Haven, Connecticut NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | Joseph Story NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| originatingCourt | United States District Court for the District of Connecticut NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| recognizedRight | right of illegally enslaved persons to resist captivity ⓘ |
| recognizedStatus | Africans as free individuals under the circumstances of the case ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Sierra Leone
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
abolitionist movement in the United States ⓘ transatlantic slave trade ⓘ |
| result | freedom for the Amistad Africans ⓘ |
| setIn | 19th century ⓘ |
| shortName | The Amistad case NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
ownership of the schooner La Amistad and its cargo
ⓘ
status of Africans captured at sea ⓘ |
| timePeriod | antebellum United States ⓘ |
| treatyCited |
Adams–Onís Treaty
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Anglo-Spanish treaties on the slave trade NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| yearDecided | 1841 ⓘ |
Referenced by (6)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Cinqué (Amistad)
this entity surface form:
La Amistad mutiny
subject surface form:
Cinqué (Amistad)
this entity surface form:
Amistad case
this entity surface form:
Amistad case