Political Courage — John Quincy Adams
Why the South Hated JQA
Mutiny on the Amistad
John Quincy Adams sits stoically in his seat in the Supreme Court Chamber of the US Capitol Building. It’s 1841 and slavery is still legal in Washington City, the capital of the United States. He is there to defend numerous Africans kidnapped two years previously from Africa, bound for slavery in Cuba.
Onboard the ship Amistad off the coast of Cuba, the Africans revolted and killed the captain and other sailors. They took control of the ship and demanded to be returned to Africa. The navigators of the ship agreed but tricked them and sailed north, eventually dropping anchor off Long Island, New York. New York was a free state but nearby Connecticut was still a slave state. The Africans were taken to Connecticut and jailed on charges of mutiny and murder.
Now, in the court chamber, Adams is present to assert the freedom of the Africans and get them back to Africa.
Profiles in Courage
I find myself going back time and again to the topic of political courage. I love the topic. It is intriguing and…
