WarriorCarryingWater | Poetry Vibe
WarriorCarryingWater
This poet practices good karma and posts comments 172900
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The human race is a chase, the prey is our dreams.

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Amistad

CATEGORY

life

Views: 202

At Mystic Seaport, CT, looking at some old ships

I didn’t expect to be reminded of slavery, chains and whips!

Moored to the pier in the distance, I discovered something odd

A small old ship named La Amistad

I didn’t recall anything about it on Mystic’s website

It was so small (120' long by 23' wide) I kept thinking, this just can’t be right?

I found a sign that confirmed it was the very same historic schooner

There were people working onboard, I wished I’d noticed them sooner

I walked over to ask a question

Busy with renovations, they didn’t have time to share a history lesson

It was low tide, so the deck was a few feet below the pier

I explained to my daughter the history of what once happened here 

In 1839, 53 slaves (including four kids) taken from Sierra Leone to Cuba revolted

When the ship’s cook joked that he’d be killed, salted, and cooked Sengbe Pieh (Cinque) was insulted!

The ‘cargo’ killed the cook and the captain and ordered the navigator to take them home

The navigator sneakily sailed to New York instead, impervious to Stockholm syndrome

The Amistad was seized in Long Island, the surviving victims charged and arrested

The merchants said the slaves were born in Cuba, but eventually had to confess it

Cinque learned English and won his Supreme Court cases

President Van Buren appealed twice because he was extremely racist!

Cinque and the rest of the Mende finally made it back to Africa three years after they were originally taken!

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COMMENTS

Contest Winner  

The Immortal Wize says:

Thanks for this mystic moment in history.

poems by this commentor


Contest Winner  

mlowe5 says:

A good share of Ourstory!
Contest Winner  

Coalhouse says:

Ourstory that's whats up
 

jlmoore2 says:

We have to keep history alive in our words. Our perspective. That will keep us whole. Thanks for the reminder.

Contest Winner  

WarriorCarryingWater says:

Thanks Jlmoore2!

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