Existing comment:
After their purchase by slave traders, Madison Washington and the rest of the enslaved African Americans destined for New Orleans poignantly reversed the walk that had once led tens of thousands of Africans trafficked in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The future could promise little more than hardship and suffering in strange and foreign lands. For those aboard the Creole, however, a different future awaited. Shortly after leaving the port at Hampton Roads and setting sail on the high seas, Washington rallied 18 of the other enslaved blacks and planned to take control of the ship. Secretly freeing themselves of their shackles and chains, the men surprised the crew on deck, seized hold of their weapons and demanded the Creole set a course for Nassau, a British-governed port in the Bahamas.
Scholars speculate that Washington was one of the many enslaved people who participated in an extensive communication network that had developed over the years. As one captive could be sold and exported several times over the course of his or her life, word of mouth travelled quickly. Through this network enslaved Africans learned of the fate of loved ones from whom they had been separated, compassionate abolitionists willing to help them pursue freedom, or previous revolts that had – or had not – succeeded. It is highly likely that the captives aboard the Creole had heard enough about maritime law and navigation to avoid several pitfalls; for example, they started their mutiny after the ship entered international waters, beyond the jurisdiction of the United States. Secondly, by seeking refuge at a British port, they would be considered free as Great Britain set forth an emancipation decree in 1833. And thirdly, with the story of the Amistad still ringing in their ears, Washington and his crew were able to determine if the ship's course was truly set for Nassau or if they were being deceived by the captain and en route to an American port.
Upon reaching their destination, all of the enslaved people on board the Creole were set free, despite the outcry of American slaveholders, including Robert Lumpkin, who had lost their investment. After a decade of dispute and the issuance of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, assuring that the British would not interfere in similar cases in the future, a joint Anglo-American commission awarded $110,330 to the slave owners, finally closing the case. |