The West African coast was once a source of income in slave trading for the Portuguese and other Europeans across the Atlantic Ocean. The export of human beings became increasingly attractive to traders, particularly after the Spaniards explored the Americas, where the planters badly needed the hard working slaves to work in their plantations. The Gulf of Guinea, the forts of St. Jago near Elmina, and the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana and Sierra Leone coasts, were the trade bases where hundreds of thousands of innocent Africans were packed and set on sailing ships over the Atlantic heading to strange destinations. 

The Cape Coast and Elmina Castles built by the Portuguese, were the first slave trading bases in Africa. For the construction of Elmina Castle built in 1482, the Portuguese brought slaves from Niger by trading them from their chiefs. Perhaps one reason was because the Ghanaians were found stubborn and difficult to control. 

The export of human beings after the seventeenth century gradually became so profitable that the Portuguese introduced some kind of permit to authorize the traders engaged in slave transactions. Some of these slave traders, in addition to possessing shipment facilities such as slave vessels, employed middlemen to help bring slaves from the interior and hand them over for shipment overseas. Slavery operation was carried out though launching raids, capturing and kidnapping of innocent Africans from their village or farm by Europeans slave traders. Also, some slaves, who could be war prisoners traded by their local chiefs in exchange for needed goods and commodities such as clothing and arm fires. The captives were then taken away from their homeland in tide security and transported overseas.

Though no exact figures are available as to how many hundreds of thousands slaves from the coasts of West Africa were transported overseas. It is believed that the largest numbers were loaded on slave vessels and shipped from the Gold Coast across the Atlantic. 

The African captives were usually first kept in slave dungeons in Cape Coast and Elmina Castles chained up together awaiting exportation across the Atlantic to the new world. In Sierra Leone, many captives were kept first in barracons¹. Outside the barracons, slave traders set up market places for slave transactions and then took the captives away to their unknown destinations.

Many of the Africans got killed in the slave raids, or when transported lost their lives in transit during long journey overseas while packed in to cargo holds of the slave vessels. Some of them, who were captured, tried to escape during the raids or even drown themselves in the rivers or the ocean while being transported. Some traders branded their slaves so that they can be identified when necessary and in slave auctions overseas, qualification of each slave was given as advertise. 

The raids generated by slave trading not only caused bloodshed and local depopulation, but also resulted in the destruction of villages and the infrastructure. The survivors captured in the raids or kidnapped from their villages who were young and healthy, were separated and taken away to the specific venue with tight security measure so that they could not flee while handed over for shipment across the Atlantic. At the final destination, months after horrified journeys, the captives were resold, often in slave auctions, and forced to labor in the sugar and cotton plantations in Americas which at the time were the most profitable and demanding business. 

In addition, the negative impact of slave trade was the drain of native people, separation of members of families and abandonment of their culture and heritage, disgracing human values, and above all, spreading local conflicts. Some historians believe, however, that despite its negative impact, the slave trade indirectly resulted in some development in education, introducing administrative systems and above all the spread of Christianity.

Although a growing campaign against the slavery practice began and slave trade, was abolished by the British in 1807 followed by other slaving nations including the United States and Spain, nevertheless, the European colonies continued to import West African slaves or ship them to the new world. Finally, the British who signed an agreement with Spain in 1817 abolishing slave trade, stationed a naval force along the coasts of Sierra Leone and The Gambia, and managed to intercept some of the slave ships, which ignored the illegality of slave trade and set their captives free.

Due to my keen interest in further understanding of the Atlantic slave trade, I conducted some research on certain aspects of the subject. To this end, in addition to visiting the historical slave trade centres in West Africa, I traveled to the State of Connecticut to study the incident of the West African captives, namely the "Amistad", occurred on the other side of the Atlantic. Here are some of my findings.

Amistad Revolt

An important event in the history of the Atlantic slave trade known as Amistad Revolt, dates back to 1839 when a group of former slaves originating from West Africa, were kidnapped from Gallians," in the interior and transported across the Atlantic Ocean.The Gallians, where these people were kidnapped, was a major base for slave supply mainly to Cuba. The slavers here established a network of hunting slaves, where the captured slaves were traded, while the slave vessels waiting at the Gallians River on the coast to transport them overseas across the Atlantic.
Following a series of challenging incidents which occurred during their long journey across the Atlantic and then in Cuba and the United States, the survivors of the Amistad group originating from this area were finally freed and shipped from the United States back to their homeland Sierra Leone in 1842.
A brief history of the Amistad Revolt will demonstrate as to the significance of this event not only for Sierra Leone and Africa as a whole but also for the United States in particular.

It happened in January 1839 when a young Mende farmer by the name of "Sengbe Pieh" was captured in a rice farm in the Gallinas region, northern part of Sierra Leone and later sold to a Spanish slave trader. At the time, Havana was a potential and busy market for African slaves and Cuba, a major exporter of sugar in whose plantations the slaves were set to work. Many of slaves were seized from their villages in Sierra Leone and along the coast of Guinea, Gold Coast, or bought from their chiefs in exchange for money and needed commodities. None of the captives was aware as what was happening to them when were taken away from the interior until they found themselves aboard the slaving vessels for a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean to an unknown destination.
It appears, however, that in this process, the European slavers have been somehow assisted by native agents or guided by the local people in order to conduct such risky business.

Sengbe Pieh was among a group of Mende captives who were transported by canoes from the interior to Lomboko on the coast through Gillians River and then shipped to Havana, Cuba aboard a Portuguese schooner Tecora. The schooner Tecora was a narrow slave vessel sailed under the Portuguese flag with hundreds of captives, many of whom were terrified of being eventually killed and eaten by the slave traders.

The schooner reached Cuba after 2-3 months sailing during which nearly one-third of the captives either died or got sick on this long journey. Sengbe Pieh together with other survived captives from West Africa were sold at a slave auction in Havana to a Spanish sugar plantations owner² in a Cuban province.

In the slave auctions, usually they made announcement of the arrival of imported slaves from Africa with given their qualifications. In the United States before abolishing of slavery, in some states the health conditions of imported slaves were also examined for the marketing purpose prior to the auction.

In June 1839, the Spaniard placed his 53 slaves, including Sengbe Pieh, chained up together aboard a ship called El Amistad and proceeded to sail from Havana to a port near his sugar plantation farm within the Cuban territories. After three days in the rough sea, Sengbe Pieh managed to break his chains and those of his fellow captives. Then he armed his fellow men with the sugar cane knives he discovered in a cargo hold, killed the captain and the cook and seized control of the slave ship.

The Spaniard was then ordered by the captives' leader, Sengbe Pieh to sail the vessel towards sunrise back to Africa. But at nights the Spaniard tried a trick to return the ship back to Cuba instead. Meanwhile, a sudden storm forced the vessel to sail towards northwest along the east coast of the United States. After nearly two months sailing, the ship reached Long Island Sound, New York, where, was taken by the US navy to Long Wharf in New Haven. Sengbe Pieh and his fellows were captured and taken in custody and charged with murder and piracy.

Soon after, while the captives were in jail in New Haven and Hartford, a group of Americans came to their defense. This group formed the Amistad Committee in New York and started recruiting lawyers for their release. Sengbe Pieh and his fellows were finally freed as a result of anti-slavery campaign and the efforts made by former US President John Quincy Adams and Attorney Roger Baldwin, who argued their case before the US Supreme Court³. 

The captive case, particularly Pieh's character, drew attention of the public in New Haven. People gathered in front of the New Haven Jail where the captives were kept. Even the Yale University students became anxious to hear the court case and joined other supporters. 

At the court, Sengbe Pieh explained his case in Mendi language through an interpreter and told the jury what had happened to him since his capture from his farm and that they are innocent and want to return home. Then, he shouted; "Give us Free","Give us Free" "Give Us Free". This phrase is carved as the title of Amistad story, on the three-sided monument in front of former New Haven Jail, a photo of which is shown under "monuments".

Sengbe Pieh( Joseph Cinque), His Portrait painted by Nathaniel Joceln, now stands at the New Haven Memorial Society Posters and post cards of Sengbe Pieh are available on sale at the Gift Shop of the Museum.
Following the court decision to free and repatriate the Africans on 9 March 1841, the Amistad Committee raised funds for their return voyage to Africa. Sengbe Pieh was repatriated to Sierra Leone together with his surviving fellow men who reached Freetown in January 1842. After return to his homeland, Sengbe Pieh regretfully could not find his wife and the family left behind, and he himself desperately started trading. 

Singbe pieh is known as "Joseph Sinque" in the United States. Many recognized him as a fascinating man in the American abolitionist community. Libraries and museums in the United States, keep images of Sengbe Pieh as symbols of a powerful and natural leader and a symbol of freedom. In Sierra Leone, he is remembered as the Amistad Revolt hero.

The Amistad Committee, after the Pieh's case, continued to fight against slavery in the United States, which greatly contributed to the American Civil Right movement leading to the abolition of slavery. In this respect the name of Sengbe Pieh remains alive as a popular figure in the history of American culture particularly within the African-American community.
The Amistad memorial sites

In 1992, the150th Anniversary of the Amistad Revolt was simultaneously commemorated both in Freetown, Sierra Leone and New Haven in the United States. On this occasion, I enjoyed an exciting entertainment programme in Freetown by a group of African-American who traveled all the way from Connecticut to jointly celebrate the event while the Sierra Leone National Dance Troupe for Amistad Festival, were in New Haven performing a similar programme to mark the same occasion.

The state of Connecticut and especially New Haven is known for its historic Sites related to Amistad incident and the civil rights movements. In fact, New Haven and Hartford were the venues, where, the African captives were captured upon arrival by the US navy and locked up in jails.

Following the completion of mission in Africa, I made a special trip to New Haven, Connecticut to further study the story of the West African captives and the Amistad event. So I traveled to New York, and then took the bus from JFK Airport to New Haven. 
After visiting the Amistad related sites in New Haven, I spent a few days visiting Hartford, Long Island Sound and Farmington where the African captives were jailed and put on trial or lived from the time of their arrival and arrest until return to their homeland sierra Leone. Here, I would like to share my observations while visiting these related historical sites. The Amistad Monuments

To commemorate the Amistad Africans and those who shared in their struggle for freedom, the Amistad Committee commissioned a sculpture of Sengbe Pieh by Ed Hamilton in 1989. It is a three-sided monument, which stands next to the New Haven City Hall on the former site of the New Haven Jail where the African captives were held. The unveiling ceremony of the monument, sculpted by Ed Hamilton, was attended among others, by a delegation from Sierra Leone and the Dance Troupe for Amistad Festival in 1992, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Amistad Revolt. The following is the statement carved on the "three sided monument":

"Make us Free"

" The monument shown on the Home page is a memorial to the 1839 Amistad Revolt and its leader, Sengbe Pieh, also known as "Joseph Cinque." Sengbe Pieh was one of the millions of Africans kidnapped from their homes and transported in bondage to the Americas. Sold into slavery in Cuba, he, and forty-eight other men and four children were bound aboard the schooner La Amistad. During a storm, Sengbe Pieh successfully freed himself and his fellows.
The Africans seized the ship, but their orders to steer La Amistad homeland were thwarted after futile weeks at sea, they were captured off Long Island by the U.S.S, Washington.

The Amistad Africans were jailed awaiting trial for piracy and murder. To aid their struggle for freedom, the Amistad Committee formed, counting in its number ministers Simeon Jocelyn, Joshua Leavit, James Pennington, merchant Lewis Tappan, professor Josiah Gibbs, and lawyer Roger Baldwin. The Africans were tried twice prior to their ultimate triumph before the United States Supreme Court, where former President John Quincy Adams courageously defended them. Sengbe Pieh and his fellows were declared Free Persons.
"The Africans sought to return home. To raise funds for their voyage and to further the anti-slavery cause, they engaged in a series of speaking tours. In 1941, after a sojourn that profoundly abolitionist movement, they set sail free at last."

Near this monument, on Whitney Avenue where the Yale University buildings can be seen in every corner, you will easily find the New Haven Colony Historical Society. Its Museum exhibits important events in the New Haven history including Amistad Revolt. In the main hall there is a portrait of Sengbe Pieh, leading to an exhibition room, which says "Cinque Lives Here." The exhibition room displays a collection of paintings, books, abstracts of related documents, a model of Amistad vessel and a map showing the routes of Amistad voyages and its captives. A framed Sierra Leone bank note of Le 5000 with Sengbe Pieh portrait, a gift from the special Olympic delegation who visited New Haven in 1995, is also among the displayed items at the exhibition. Visitors may also find brochures, posters and post cards with the image of Sengbe Pieh (Cinque) on sale at the Museum Gift shop.

In 1989-1990, the New Haven Colony Historical Society and Connecticut Historical Society co-sponsored an exhibition on the Amistad incident as part of the 150th anniversary of the event. The exhibition included a model of Amistad vessel, which now remains on permanent display. The Society also initiated a series of lectures on Amistad Revolt.

On March 27, 1998 sponsored by Amistad Committee and some institutions such as the Yale New Haven Hospital, which organized a dinner reception under the Title "Freetown-New Haven Sister Cities" at which the Director of African Studies from University of Sierra Leone was the guest speaker.

1) Barracons were temporary shelters set up in the interior with wooden roofs and fences around, where the captives were kept inside, before being taken away to the coast and shipped overseas. The captives were often fastened together with tight security to prevent them from escaping.

2) Sugar plantations needed strong men. For this reason, slave traders' efforts was to select young and healthy slaves including children, especially when they wanted to accommodate more captives in their slave vessels for shipment across the Atlantic.

3) John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts and former US President, was 74 when, he jointly with Roger Baldwin as defense attorney, defended the Amistad captives' case before the Supreme Court. He was a law graduate from Harvard at the age of nineteen who developed his political career as an experienced and exceptional diplomat. John Quincy Adams was appointed as the Secretary of State by President James Monroe, and then became US President from 1824-1828. John Quincy Adams was the only son of a US President to reach the highest office in the nation.
George W. Bush, the current US President is the second in US history, whose father was also a former US President. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in Texas where he served as governor before his presidency.
After his presidency, John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representative where he stood up against slavery and segregation in the south until he succeeded in the abolishment of slave trade. 
The opening remarks by Roger Baldwin, the New Haven Chief Lawyer and Attorney who defended the African captives' case, took nearly four hours before the US Supreme Court.

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