CHAPTER 4 - A FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT TAKES THE CASE
Baldwin fought the Van Buren administration with another U.S. President: John Quincy Adams who, at the time, was a Congressman. The former president was 73-years old and hadn't argued in court for thirty years. His record on anti-slavery issues was not the most stellar in the country. He was, however, a passionate believer in the Declaration of Independence which his father, John Adams, had signed. (Here is the 1823 "Stone engraving" which is much easier to read than the highly faded original. Note John Adams' signature in the right-hand column of the Declaration.) Adams met most of the imprisoned Africans on November 17, 1840. His diary on that date reflects his reaction to their plight. More importantly, Adams was touched by a personal letter written to him by Kali - one of the Africans who had learned some English. Kali's January 4, 1841 letter pleaded: "All we want is make us free." Adams agreed to get involved. He filed briefs with the Supreme Court. This link will direct you to the National Archives to view a copy of one of the briefs Adams drafted himself.As the time for the argument drew near, Adams was worried about what he would say. He was outraged at what had happened. He knew that he was prone to a quick-temper. A December 12, 1840 entry from his diary notes his concerns: "...Of all the dangers before me, that of losing my self possession is the most formidable - I am yet inable to prepare the outline of the argument which I must be ready to offer the second week of January. Let me not forget my duty." The Amistad Africans had attracted much media attention, thanks to the work of the abolitionists. The only surviving contemporary account, A History of the Amistad Captives, written in 1840 by John Barber, lists the names, includes a drawing and describes the background of each living captive. (This link is the complete pamphlet. Scroll down about one-third of the way to see, and learn about, each prisoner.) Barber also lists each individual who had died while in New Haven. But it wasn't just the Africans who were relying on the arguments of Adams and Baldwin. Both the North and the South were keenly aware of the importance of the case. So were the Spaniards, including their queen.  | GO TO STORY INDEX |  |
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