Diplomacy Classroom: La Amistad and Upholding Democracy

February 9, 2021 

1:00 – 2:00 PM EST

In 1839, the U.S. navy confiscated a Spanish ship, La Amistad, off the coast of Long Island, NY.  Aboard were Africans and two Spaniards, who insisted the Africans were their slaves who had taken over the ship, and a treaty between the United States and Spain stated that all “property” be restored. 

American abolitionists, however, argued the Africans were free people based on international law. 

How would the practice of diplomacy be used to enforce the rule of law in this complicated case? 

Please join us for a discussion with NMAD’s Public Historian, Dr. Alison Mann to discover how this case challenged America’s democratic ideals.

Learn about this event in history in our story “Mutiny on the Amistad” as part of our Diplomacy is Our Mission online exhibit.

Watch the event “Diplomacy Classroom: La Amistad and Upholding Democracy”