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La Amistad slave uprising aboard the schooner La Amistad

On July 2, 1839, Mende captives being transported on the Spanish schooner La Amistad revolted, seized the vessel off the coast of Cuba, and attempted to navigate it back to Africa.

The incident precipitated a complex international and legal crisis that soon involved U.S. authorities, challenged slavery and maritime law, and ultimately produced a landmark court case with major diplomatic implications for the Van Buren administration.

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