Amistad Anchors In Port Jefferson: Info

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — A replica of the Amistad, a 19th century ship that became famous following a July 1839 slave revolt by Mende captives, will dock in Port Jefferson this week, the Port Jefferson Conservancy announced.

The Amistad will anchor at Harborfront Park Pier on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be reception tours open to all with a suggested donation of $25 made to the Conservancy Fundraising arm of Port Jefferson.

The Mende captives had been enslaved in Sierra Leone and were being transported from Havana, Cuba, to their purchasers' plantations. Following a revolt, the ship was eventually captured and towed into the port of New London Harbor in Connecticut, which was still a slave state at the time. Abolitionists helped secure the captives a trial in a federal district court, with the the case eventually going to the Supreme Court, which sided in favor of the Mende. The full story of the Mende captives can be read on History.com.