Cinqué

Born Sierra Leone, Africa

After leading his fellow African captives in commandeering the slave ship Amistad, Cinqué ordered the surviving crew to sail to Africa. They appeared to comply by sailing east during the day, but at night they headed north or west instead. This zigzag trajectory ultimately brought the Amistad to waters off Long Island, New York, where it was seized by a U.S. Navy vessel. Charged with murder, the Africans were imprisoned in Connecticut, while their Spanish enslavers claimed them as property and demanded their return.

Northern abolitionists rallied behind the Africans. Murder and conspiracy charges against them were eventually dropped, and a federal judge ruled in favor of their release and return to Africa. Under pressure from the Spanish ...