Amistad Case

The story of the Amistad begins in 1839. Slave trade was illegal in many parts of the world, but slave traders don't pay much mind to the law. In western Africa they often kidnap of they sell their own kind. Early in 1839 in a place called Mendeland, a group of African was kidnapped and transported to the African slave port of Lomboko. They were Portuguese slave trader who purchased 500 Africans and they took them on a slave ship Tecora to Havana, Cuba. When they got to Cuba the slaves were separated and sold. Two plantation owners, Spaniards named Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montes brought 53 of the slaves, 49 men, one boy and three girls. Ruiz and Montes packed their cargo and their slaves on a ship called schooner Amistad. During the ride the Africans learned sign language to ask the Spanish cook and he replied that the African will be killed and eaten. One of the African used a nail he found and started picking the chained to legs and wrists. After he got himself out he tried to take out the others. The African on board found some sugar cane knives with two foot long blades. They took over the Amistad ship, there was two African and two Spaniards who were killed, the African was now in control of the boat and they forced Ruiz and Montes to sail east to their homeland. Ruiz and Montes tried to trick the African by heading east into the sun all day, day and night each morning they made a different direction zig zag during the Atlantic, off the coast of the United States. This went on for about 2 months, on August 26, the navy sailors spotted the ship they heard the Spaniards version of the story, they captured the ship, the Africans the sailors though they would get an award for their ship if not they would sell the slaves for some money. The sailor was heading to New York but slavery was illegal their, they wouldn’t have any chance to sell the slaves, they headed to Connecticut were it was still legal, they was still in New London, based on their story from Ruiz and Montes, the African were ordered to stand on trail for mutiny and murder. The African couldn’t tell their side of their story because they didn’t know the language English, or Spanish. The trail ended up freeing the slaves and returning to their homeland in Mende.

Source: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson043.shtml
Picture source: http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/lp-2001/images/amistad.jpg - This picture was from the africans that were caputrued and were put on trail, this was from the movie Amistad Case

The Fugitive Slave Law

The Fugitive Slave act was the runaway slaves that were escaping out of the south, black slaves who escaped even free black men was sent back to slavery to whoever was their owner. That's was the legal rights, under the fugitive slave law the  runaway law was to stand in trial in front of a special commissioner. It was not a jury or judge, if the commissioner would be paid $10 if the fugitive will be sent back but only $5 if the fugitive will be sent freed. Many of the northern people seen this as an opportunity to sent all of the black citizen back to slavery. Any person who tried to free a slave or tried to interfere with capturing a slave will be subject to a heavy fine and imprisonment. Alot of people in the south was outraged, it convinced thousand of northerners that it should be barred from the western territories. They made another law passed on for the fugitive slave law, it was personal liberty it extended the rights in the jury to the runaway slave. They provided the slave with committees to protect them from hired kidnapper who was searching for black fugitive in the north. 15,000 free blacks emigrated to Canada, Haiti, the British Caribbean, and Africa.
Source :http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=328
Picture Source: http://www.continuinged.ku.edu/kt/session1/discussion.html - in the picture it was a wanted poster for the escaped slave and the reward for his capture.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in 1819, in Dorchester Country, Maryland. Both of her parent was already a slave when she was born, she had harsh condition even as a child. Most of her childhood she lived with her grandmother who was to old for slave labor.

When she turned six she was old enough to work, Edward Brodas her master lent her a couple put her to work weaving, they gave her a duty of checking muskrat traps. Harriet Tubman was taken in by a women as a house keeper and baby-sitter. When Harriet turned 11 she wore a bright cotton bandanna showing that she was no longer a child. In 1844 at the age 25 she married John Tubman a free African American, he did not share her dream knowing she was a slave she knew there can be a chance that she could be sold and her marriage will split apart. She wanted to travel north there she will be free and would not have to worry about nothing. In 1849 she left her husband and escape to Philadelphia in the same year 1849.

Harriet was on her path to freedom she was put in a wagon covered with sacks on top of her a driven to her next destination. People helped her cross the Mason-Dixon Line, then she hitched a ride with a women and her husband. Harriet got a Job where she saved her pay to help free slaves. In 1850 Harriet helped her first escape slave to the North, she had send a message to her sister's oldest son that said for her sister and family to board a fishing boat in Cambridge, this boat would sail up the Chesapeake Bay where they would meet her. Harriet lead them to safe house to each safe house in Pennsylvania which was a free state.

In 1850 Harriet Tubman was made a official Conductor of the Underground Railroad, she knew all the Routes to the free territory and she made a second trip to the south to rescue her brother James and other friends to the north. When the Fugitive Slave act was past on they had to make things more secretly, she made codes and instead of the taking the slaves to the North of the U.S. they took them to Canada.

All of her trips where cold and long but nothing stoped her, in 1869 she had gotten remarried to Nelson Davis she had a peacefully 19 year of marriage till he past away. In March 10, 1913 Harriet Tubman past away and left a great memories to all, the strength that she had to help slaves and her courage.

Source: http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html
Picture Source: http://www.civilwarhome.com/tubmanbio.htm