Amistad Memorial (New Haven) facts for kids

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The Amistad Memorial is a special bronze statue in New Haven, Connecticut. It was made by an artist named Ed Hamilton. This memorial helps us remember the important events of the Amistad Affair from 1839.

The Amistad Affair was about 53 Africans who were taken from their homes. They later bravely took control of the ship La Amistad. This event led to a very important court case in the United States Supreme Court. The court decided that the Amistad captives were acting in self-defense. This meant they had the right to fight for their freedom.

The memorial stands in front of the New Haven City Hall on Church Street. This is the exact spot where the Amistad captives were held during their trial. The memorial was officially opened on September 18, 1992.

The Amistad Story

La Amistad was a ship owned by a Spanish person from Cuba. It was changed to carry people who were forced into slavery. The ship became famous because of a revolt that happened on board in 1839.

The journey for 53 Mende captives started when they were taken from their homes in what is now Sierra Leone. They were forced onto a Portuguese slave ship called Tecora. This ship was headed to Cuba, where they would be sold as slaves.

Once they secretly arrived in Cuba, the captives were moved to La Amistad. On July 2, 1839, a brave leader named Sengbe Pieh (also known as Joseph Cinqué) led a revolt. The captives took over the ship. They told the remaining crew to sail back to their home in Sierra Leone. But the ship's navigator secretly steered the ship north. He hoped to reach the American coast and find help.

La Amistad was later seen near Montauk, Long Island. A U.S. ship called USRC Washington escorted it ashore. The Africans were then held in New Haven, Connecticut. They were put on trial for mutiny (taking over the ship) and murder.

Why New Haven is Important

After the Amistad Africans won their court case and gained their freedom, many people in New Haven helped them. Local residents offered them places to live, helped them learn, and gave them legal support.

These helpful residents formed a group called the Amistad Committee. One famous person who helped was John Quincy Adams. He was a former president and he defended the Amistad captives in their case at the Supreme Court. The Amistad captives became part of the community. They would spend time with the local people in the town green.

Building the Memorial

How the Memorial Was Planned

In 1988, citizens in New Haven brought back the Amistad Committee. They wanted to plan events to celebrate 150 years since the Amistad affair. The committee worked hard to raise money for the New Haven memorial. They also helped build a copy of the Amistad ship. They even came up with the idea for the Connecticut Freedom Trail, which includes the memorial.

In 1992, a writer and activist named Khalid Lum said something important about the memorial. He felt it was not just about remembering history. He hoped it would also bring back some of the spirit that led to Cinqué and his friends' freedom.

The Amistad Committee specifically wanted an African-American artist to design the memorial. So, they reached out to mostly Black schools to find a sculptor. Ed Hamilton, the artist who built the sculpture, didn't know about the competition at first. He found out from a friend while on vacation. He and four other artists showed their work. But none of them were chosen at first. The committee asked the artists to try again. Three artists were invited to visit the city. Only Ed Hamilton accepted the invitation.

About the Artist

Ed Hamilton is the sculptor who created the Amistad Memorial. He is an African-American artist. He was born in 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Today, he lives near Louisville, Kentucky. He studied at Spalding University in Louisville. He has been a sculptor and artist for most of his life.

His main artworks are public sculptures of African-Americans. These sculptures honor people who made positive contributions to American life. One famous work he created was the Booker T. Washington Memorial. He designed and built it between 1983 and 1984.

Hamilton first made a plaster model of the Amistad Memorial. This model is now at the African-American Historical Society in New Haven, Connecticut. Then, he made the frame for the clay sculpture. This clay sculpture was later cast in bronze in Louisville, Kentucky. It was then placed on a triangular base made of granite.

The Dedication Day

The memorial was officially opened on September 18, 1992. About 300 people came to the dedication, even though it was raining heavily. Clifton H. Johnson, in a speech called "The Legacy of La Amistad," shared something special. He said that sculptor Ed Hamilton felt the rain was like the tears of all Africans. These were the tears of those who never made it home.

Valentine Strasser, the leader of Sierra Leone, was also there. In his speech, Strasser said he hoped everyone who saw the statue would remember what it stood for. He hoped they would take away more than just a sense of history.

What the Memorial Looks Like

The memorial is located in front of New Haven City Hall. This building is on the same spot where the Amistad captives were held during their trial.

The memorial has three sides that you can see easily. Each side shows Joseph Cinqué.

• On the first side, he is shown in his native clothes in Africa.
• On the second side, he is in court during his trials.
• On the third side, he is shown after he won his freedom.

The monument also has a fourth side. This side faces upwards and can only be seen from the upper floors of City Hall.

For the memorial, Hamilton used a technique called relief. This is where the front part of the image sticks out from the background. Each side of the memorial uses both high relief and low relief. High relief means the image sticks out a lot. Low relief is used for smaller details, like the faces of other captives and people who fought against slavery. The three main pictures of Cinqué are all made in high relief.