Can an ocean current effect history?

Objectives
Students will be able to:

apply knowledge of the gulf stream to a historical event explain how the current can effect ship movement describe the general events surrounding the Amistad

Materials
computers with Internet access
Student Worksheet


Background
Chronology of the Amistad case


Procedure
The Amistad
The Amistad was a coastal trade ship.  From Colonial times through the 20th century, coastal trade ships moved goods between cities, similar to tractor-trailers today.  Generally, The Amistad carried products revolving around the sugar industry from the home port of Guanaja to Havana, Cuba.  For the return trip from Havana, the ship brought finished goods and supplies to Guanaja, making a round trip about every two months.  Along with goods, the ship often carried people, ranging from wealthy Spaniards to slaves bound for sugar cane plantations.  However, The Amistad was not considered a slave ship.  Slave ships were involved with trafficking illegally captured African people to the Americas.  The Tecora was the slave ship that originally brought the captives from Africa to Havana, Cuba, where their voyage on The Amistad began.

On the night of June 28, 1839, The Amistad set sail from Havana with Jose Ruiz, Pedro Montes and fifty-three captives for their plantations in another part of Cuba.  On August 26, 1839, The Amistad was captured by crew of U.S.S. Washington off of Long Island, New York.  At that time, a direct voyage from Cuba to New York should have taken approximately 2 weeks.  The image below is a map of the route taken by the Amistad over the summer.

1.  Based on conclusions drawn from the image, your knowledge of the Gulf Stream current, and the information provided, develop a hypothesis of what happened on the Amistad. 



Test Your Hypothesis
The fate of the Amistad became the basis of a landmark American legal case.  Review the information found on the following web site and answer the questions.

The Amistad Case 


2.  How did the Gulf Stream current influence the course taken by the Amistad?


3.  What was the significance of the current flowing north? 


4.  In relation to the current, what was significant about the time of year the event occurred?


5.  Why did this event create the basis for a landmark legal case?


6.  What eventually happened to the Amistad captives?


Helpful Links
Brief biographies of the Amistad captives
Famous American Trials  - The Amistad Trials 
Letter to John Adams
Newspaper clipping depicting the mutiny on the Amistad - Large Image 
Tulane 

Assessment
1.  How did the Gulf Stream current influence history?

2.  Do you think the fate of the people on the Amistad may have been different if the ship landed elsewhere?  Explain why.


Extension Lessons
Amistad Mock Trial  
EyeWitness Slave ship