Lot 701
Rare Amistad Printed Manuscript. Here we offer a printed "Congressional Message" regarding the schooner Amistad. Entitled "Africans Taken in the Amistad / Message from the President of the United States", this 69 page manuscript is comprised of a variety of printed correspondence between President Martin Van Buren, Secretary of State John Forsyth, numerous lawyers, as well as Spanish officials. Unbound. Edges are rough, with some chipping. Obvious yellowing from age. Still, a rare chronology of the international situation.
In 1839, fifty-three African men were abducted by slave hunters and taken to Cuba, a center of the slave trade. After two Spaniards bought the "slaves" and headed to their Caribbean plantation, the African prisoners commandeered the ship, killing several of those aboard, and ordered the ship back to Africa. The ship, however, was seized off the coast of New York, and American officials demanded the "slaves" tried for murder. This intriguing lot offers insight into the debates surrounding this early global affair.
Estimated Value $250-UP.
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| Realized $161 |
