Amistad Affair

The Amistad Affair was a legal and diplomatic dispute in 1839 involving a group of Africans who had been kidnapped in Africa, sold into slavery, and transported on the Spanish schooner La Amistad. The captives rebelled, taking control of the ship, but it was later seized by U.S. authorities. The case centered on their legal status—whether they should be returned to slavery or freed. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 1841 that the Africans had been illegally kidnapped and must be released, marking a significant moment in the fight against slavery and highlighting issues of justice and human rights.