Editing Martin Van Buren (section)

===''Amistad'' case: victory for the ex-slaves===
{{main|United States v. The Amistad}}
The Amistad case was a freedom suit that involved international issues and was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. It resulted from the successful rebellion of African slaves on board the Spanish schooner ''[[La Amistad]]'' in 1839. The ship ended up in American waters and was seized by the predecessor agency of the Coast Guard.<ref>Howard Jones, ''Mutiny on the Amistad: the saga of a slave revolt and its impact on American abolition, law, and diplomacy'' (Oxford University Press, 1997).</ref> Van Buren viewed abolitionism as the greatest threat to the nation's unity, and he resisted the slightest interference with slavery in the states where it existed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vlib.us/amdocs/texts/13vanb1.htm|title=Martin Van Buren, First Inaugural, March 4, 1837 &#124; AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History|publisher=Vlib.us|access-date=December 5, 2011|quote=I must go into the Presidential chair with the inflexible and uncompromising opponent of every attempt on the part of Congress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia against the wishes of the slaveholding States, and also with a determination equally decided to resist the slightest interference with it in the States where it exists.|archive-date=December 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205214956/http://www.vlib.us/amdocs/texts/13vanb1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> His administration supported the Spanish government's demand that the ship and its cargo (including the Africans) be turned over to Spain. However, abolitionist lawyers intervened. A federal district court judge ruled that the Africans were legally free and should be transported home, but Van Buren's administration appealed the case to the Supreme Court.<ref>Marcus Rediker, ''The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom'' (Penguin, 2013).</ref>

In the Supreme Court in February, 1840, [[John Quincy Adams]] argued passionately for the Africans' right to freedom. Van Buren's Attorney General [[Henry D. Gilpin]] presented the government's case. In March&nbsp;1841, the Supreme Court issued its final verdict: the ''Amistad'' Africans were free people and should be allowed to return home.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amistad Story|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/amistad/amistadstory.htm|work=Amistad: Seeking Freedom in Connecticut|publisher=National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places U.S. Department of the Interior|access-date=March 13, 2017|archive-date=May 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512071913/https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/amistad/amistadstory.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The unique nature of the case heightened public interest in the saga, including the participation of former president Adams, Africans testifying in federal court, and their representation by prominent lawyers. Van Buren's administration lost its case and the ex-slaves won. The episode case drew attention to the personal tragedies of slavery and attracted new support for the growing abolition movement in the North. It also transformed the courts into the principal forum for a national debate on the legal foundations of slavery.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Brief Narrative|work=Teaching and Civic Outreach Resources Amistad: The Federal Courts and the Challenge to Slavery – Historical Background and Documents|url=http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/tu_amistad_narrative.html|publisher=Federal Judicial Center|location=Washington|access-date=March 13, 2017|archive-date=December 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231000115/http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/tu_amistad_narrative.html|url-status=live}}</ref>