Supreme Court Rules Africans on Amistad Free
In 1839, kidnapped Africans aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad seized control of the vessel after being illegally transported from Africa to Cuba. The ship drifted to Long Island, New York, where U.S. authorities took custody. Lower courts ruled the captives had been unlawfully enslaved and acted in self-defense. President Martin Van Buren appealed the case to the Supreme Court amid international pressure from Spain. On March 9, 1841, Justice Joseph Story delivered the majority opinion affirming the Africans' freedom. The ruling rejected Spanish claims and ordered their release, though it did not mandate government-funded repatriation.