Description

A letter from Sherman M. Booth acknowledging Lewis Tappan's letter from March 24. Booth writes that he feels Tappan misunderstood his feelings with regard to teaching the Africans. He states that it would be agreeable to remain and teach the Africans "if it appeared to me right, in my circumstances," and recounts how he entered college and then came to be their teacher through Amos Townsend Jr. He writes: "since that time I have had the sole charge of their instruction, & have been more & more & more interested in them daily," but their, "sudden deliverance from slavery, & their removal to Farmington, was an event I did not foresee or expect." Booth feels it his duty to remain with them through the current school term and vacation if wanted. He explains that he is willing to remain provided he can attend to his own studies and wishes to enter the ministry, but states, "I know there is a higher teaching than that of the schools, & in laboring with these Africans there is a window of usefulness opened." John T. Norton and A.F. Williams believe next week would be too soon to bring the Africans to New York. He discusses the reaction of the Africans when he proposed going to New York. Kinna was initially reluctant to sing and Booth has yet to devise a plan to induce Cinque to give a talk and discusses how to devise a plan to do so. He then mentions his pleasure...

From Collection

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

Record Contributed By

Amistad Research Center