‘Amistad’ Incident Underscores Lessons Of Freedom And Equality

By Tanjua Damon

The Declaration of Independence called for freedom and equality for all, but the Amistad incident that occurred before the Civil War proved that freedom and equality did not extend to everyone.

Newtown Middle School eighth graders have been learning about the Amistad incident that unfolded in the years between 1839 and 1842. Mr LoRicco, a social studies teacher, says the pre-Civil War chapter helps students grasp the ideals outlined in the Declaration of Independence.

“We’re trying to teach the students that the ideals of the Declaration of Independence weren’t given to everybody,” Mr LoRicco said. “It’s been a long struggle throughout history.”

Abolitionists believe slavery was wrong, Mr LoRicco said. They were a minority. The Amistad was a schooner that was bringing slaves over from Africa. Slave trade was illegal.

“The abolitionists found they had a good example to bring to the public’s attention the issue of slavery,” Mr LoRicco said. “The Amistad was brought to Connecticut from New York because slavery was still legal here.”

The three-week unit provided students with information and ideas that they researched and then developed into a project, which ranged from posters to life-sized characters to sculptures to reports.

“The culmination of this unit was making projects and the celebration of freedom and human spirit,” Mr LoRicco said. “And what these people did to build our country even though they weren’t from here.”

Besides learning in the classroom, 80 Newtown Middle School students have also been taking fieldtrips to work with other middle school students from Stamford and Bridgeport. The students gain more information and participate in Amistad workshops.

Danielle Iodice is one student who has been attending the fieldtrips and says they have given her another opportunity to learn from other people.

“We learn about the Amistad and do activities with students from other schools. We pretend to be Amistad people and see what it would be like to have been in their shoes. We write letters,” she said. “I think this is really important. It’s not as detailed in our textbooks. It’s made me think a lot about people’s equality and how we should treat everybody as an equal because everyone is equal.”

There are about 350 eighth graders at the middle school. Each one learns about the Amistad incident, Mr LoRicco said. Each cluster does it differently.

“We have a comprehensive packet. But there are choices they have to make,” he said. “These kids took an idea within the framework of the information. They were able to create amazing projects.”

Will Sherman researched a slave named Ngahoni, who was brought over during the Amistad incident.

“It taught me what actually happened on the Amistad,” Will said. “It brought me to know the Amistad incident better.”

Alex Roy researched Yaboi and through her research she realized that not everyone involved with the incident played a large role, but may have simply been a follower.

“He was a Mende captive. He didn’t really help in the revolt, but could have been one that went along with everyone else,” Alex said. “Trying to put it all together and make our character was challenging.”

Many of the students found that their research projects did not have fountains of information to be found. Another Mende captive named Fakinna seemed to lack lots of information.

“He didn’t really have that much information because he didn’t take charge. He probably did what everyone else was doing,” Amber Butler said. “This just helps you learn more about our nation’s history, how we mistreated these people and how they fought for their equality.”

Dylan DeSimone, after learning about the Amistad, believes that history has not changed that much and there is still a lot of work to be done.

“I think it gave a history, that’s why we are learning about it. It doesn’t seem like it has changed that much,” Dylan said. “There is still murders and racist actions. They even have a name for it – hate crimes. We need more laws against it and enforce them.”

After learning about the Amistad incident, many students realize that there are many things in life that people take for granted.

“I’m more thankful that I have freedom and realize it is very important,” Kristen Rocca said.

Stacy Shpunt believes that if she were alive during the incident she would be on the side of the abolitionists.

“I would definitely think it was wrong. Slave trade was illegal,” she said. “I would have tried to fight for them like the abolitionists did.”

Just being able to see and understand the historical part of history that the Amistad created provided some students with the realization that life could have been different if certain things had not happened.

“It’s interesting learning about the trial, seeing how it all worked out so the Africans could go home,” Amelia Shwartz said. “The Amistad trial was a big step toward civil war, but without it maybe we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

The Amistad incident provided students a lesson of the nation’s past and a lesson of today – that everyone is created equal.

“It gives students a chance to learn about what happened in our nation’s past,” Aimee Clavette said. “It’s important for them to know everyone should be treated equal no matter what race they are.”

This part of the eighth grade curriculum seems to affected more students because many of them can understand the issue as one that can happen to anyone.

“This unit in particular eighth graders tend to really get into,” Mr LoRicco said. “They can realize what it is like not to have freedom and dealing with conflict resolution. They can really relate to it.”