New Amistad sets sail to retrace slave trade route

John Christoffersen

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — For the next 16 months, a ship bearing the name Amistad once again will sail the Atlantic, tracing a 19th century route of the slave trade.

The Freedom Schooner Amistad, a near-replica of the ship that sparked a slave revolt, departed last Thursday from its home port in New Haven to embark upon a 14,000-mile voyage to Nova Scotia, Britain and Africa.

“We believe that the Amistad story is a landmark case in American history and deserves to be told and recognized,” said William Minter, chairman of the project. “It’s a very exciting venture.”

In 1839, more than 50 African captives en route to Cuba on the Amistad schooner rebelled and took over the ship. After landing on Long Island, N.Y., they were captured and jailed in New Haven.

With help from area abolitionists, the surviving Africans won their freedom in a historic court battle that started in Connecticut and ended in the U.S. Supreme Court. Former President John Quincy Adams represented the slaves.

Their story was depicted in the 1997 movie “Amistad,” directed by Steven Spielberg.

Freedom Schooner Amistad, constructed at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, was launched in 2000. The ship has traveled around the country, but this is its first voyage tracing the slave route.

“I’ve seen people just stand mute,” said Capt. William Pinkney, who will sail for part of the voyage. “It’s a touchstone to a past that rarely gets talked about.”

The new voyage will retrace the slave industry triangle with stops at nearly 20 Atlantic ports that played an important role in the trade.

Ten college students from Britain and the U.S. will join the crew when it sets sail, learning the legacy of the slave trade. Through live Web casts and e-mail correspondence with schools and museums around the world, the students are expected to share their experiences with millions of other students worldwide.

“I just thought it would be a brilliant experience,” said Saphra Ross, a 20-year-old college student from Britain taking the voyage. “This story has inspired me more to be a lawyer.”

Seth Bruin, a 19-year-old college student from Maryland, said he hopes to incorporate what he learns into a career as an American history teacher.

“Slavery is just as big a part of U.S. history as the signing of the Constitution,” Bruin said. “They don’t spend the time that needs to be spent on it in school.”

After stopping in Nova Scotia, the Amistad will arrive in London in early August to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain. The vessel will head to Liverpool for the opening of the International Slavery Museum and then travel to Portugal and Sierra Leone, the original West African homeland of many of the Amistad captives.

The Amistad will return to the United States next year to commemorate the bicentenary of legislation to ban the importation of slaves.

Actor John Amos, who starred in “Roots,” will film the voyage for a documentary.

“Including ‘Roots,’ this is the most exciting project I have ever been involved with,” Amos said in a statement. “The ship Amistad represents social justice, collaboration, racial equality, freedom and human rights. This story needs to be told in a way that everyone feels they own a part of the ship and her voyage.”

(Associated Press)