The Amistad Revolt

The Amistad Revolt occurred in 1839 when enslaved Africans, aboard the Spanish slave ship La Amistad, revolted against their captors off the coast of Cuba. Led by Joseph Cinqué, they took control of the ship, hoping to sail back to Africa. However, they were intercepted by the U.S. Navy and taken to America, leading to a legal battle over their fate. The case highlighted issues of slavery and human rights, eventually reaching the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that the captives had been taken unlawfully and allowed them to return to Africa, marking a significant event in the abolitionist movement.