Description

A letter reporting that Benjamin Griswold has received Lewis Tappan's letter and an answer was all but completed "the evening before the sitting of the court at Hartford." Griswold explains that he has not quite come to a decision [presumably to accompany the Amistad Captives back to Africa], but that "now I suppose there can be not great haste in as much as I presume you do not expect that they will leave this country for a year." He states that some preliminary questions must be settled before he can make a decision and that he has informed the Africans about the court appeal. They are told that that they must "remain here two or three months longer -- they seemed very much grieved." Griswold admits that he is "afraid they will think that there is some iniquity in this business...although they say they are not offended with us." In the letter, Griswold asks Tappan if he thinks there "is any probability that they will go to Africa in April" and whether the case will be "carried to the Supreme Court." He remarks that, "God will I think bring good out of this evil," in that "some great principles will be settled," that "deeper & more general sympathy" will be given "for the blacks & hatred of slavery," and that the Africans "will be better prepared to do good when they return." Griswold mentions that Mr. Bacon says that the [illegible] at Sierra Leone feel hostile to requests of other...

From Collection

Slavery and the U.S. Supreme Court: The Amistad Case

Record Contributed By

Amistad Research Center