Simeon Jocelyn facts for kids

Simeon Jocelyn (born 1799, died 1879) was a pastor and activist in the 1800s. He worked hard for the rights and education of African Americans in New Haven, Connecticut. Jocelyn is famous for trying to start the first college in America for African Americans. He also played a big part in the Amistad case.

Fighting for Freedom and Education

Simeon Jocelyn was the first pastor for a Black church called the Temple Street Church in New Haven, Connecticut. He had studied at Yale College. Jocelyn was a strong supporter of creating a college specifically for African Americans.

Back then, there were no colleges in the country, or even in English-speaking countries, that accepted African American students. Only a very few exceptions existed. Later, some schools like the Oneida Institute and Oberlin Collegiate Institute began to accept African American students. The New-York Central College was the first to accept both African Americans and women from the very beginning.

A Big Idea in New Haven

Jocelyn worked with other important activists like William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. On September 7, 1831, he shared his plan for an African American college with the New Haven community. Arthur Tappan offered $1,000 to help, if local white people raised $9,000 and Black people raised $10,000.

However, this plan came out just after news of Nat Turner's slave revolt in August. Some newspapers even printed stories about the college plan next to news of the revolt. This made many white people across the country, especially in New Haven, very afraid of Black people.

Jocelyn's college idea faced huge opposition. The vote against it in New Haven was 700 to 4. Because of this, he had to leave his job as pastor of the African American church. His plan was so controversial that a white mob later attacked his house. The mob also destroyed a Black-owned hotel, another Black-owned building, and Arthur Tappan's summer home.

The Oberlin Collegiate Institute became one of the few colleges where Black students could attend. It wasn't until 1856 that the first college just for African Americans, Wilberforce University, opened in Ohio.

Even after these difficult events, Jocelyn continued his work. He helped people escape slavery as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. He also helped create a neighborhood in New Haven where people of all races lived together.

The Amistad Case

In 1839, a group of 53 Africans were kidnapped and illegally taken from their homes by slave hunters. They were being transported on a ship called the Amistad by Cuban slave traders. While at sea, the Africans bravely rebelled against their captors. They took control of the ship and killed some of the kidnappers.

The ship was later found by the United States Navy near Long Island, New York. The Africans were then put in prison in New Haven. They were found not guilty of murder. However, a big debate started about their status: Were they free, since U.S. law did not allow new slaves to be brought into the country? Or should they be sent back to their "owners" in the Spanish colony of Cuba?

This important debate quickly caught the attention of people who wanted to end slavery. Simeon Jocelyn, along with Lewis Tappan and Joshua Leavitt, created the Amistad Committee. This committee worked to support the Africans' freedom. They also raised money for the Africans' legal costs and living expenses.

With Jocelyn's help, the Africans won their case. The Supreme Court decided that the United States government had to allow the Africans to return to their homeland.