29:
263:
the tears of all
Africans who did not make the final journey home." Among those in attendance was Valentine Strasser, the chairman of the Republic of Sierra Leone. In his speech at the dedication, Strasser said, "I hope all who will come to New Haven and see this statue will remember what it stands for and take with them more than a sense of history.'
250:. He attended Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and has been a sculptor and artist for most of his life. His primary works are public sculptures of African-Americans that have made positive contributions to the lives of Americans. One notable work was his Booker T. Washington Memorial, designed and built in 1983-1984.
279:: on the first side, in his native clothing in Africa, on the second side, in court during his trials, and on the third side, after he won his freedom. The monument has a fourth side, facing up, which is only visible from the upper floors of City Hall. It depicts a face and hands in water. Laura Macaluso, in her book,
262:
The memorial was dedicated on
September 18, 1992, and an estimated 300 people attended the dedication, despite the fact that it was pouring rain. Clifton H. Johnson, in his lecture "The Legacy of La Amistad" said, "Sculptor Ed Hamilton says in his autobiography that he viewed the rain as symbolic of
308:
in which the foreground image juts out from the background. Each side demonstrates both high relief (where the projection from the background is much greater than low relief) and low relief to display secondary objects, including the faces of other captives and abolitionists. The three portraits of
231:
replica, and developed the idea for the
Connecticut Freedom Trail, which includes the memorial. In 1992, Khalid Lum, a New Haven writer and activist said about the memorial, "many people who are familiar with the Amistad revolt feel it’s not only a matter of commemorating a historical event. It is
235:
The
Amistad Committee specifically desired that an African-American artist should design and build the memorial, so it contacted predominantly black schools to find a sculptor. The artist who ended up building the sculpture, Ed Hamilton, was not initially informed of the competition. He found out
253:
Hamilton designed a plaster model of the
Amistad Memorial, which now resides at the African-American Historical Society in New Haven, Connecticut. He then made the armature for the clay sculpture which was cast in bronze in Louisville, Kentucky and set atop a triangular base of granite.
300:, who drowned in the Farmington Canal? Or, you could say that this figure, awash in the vastness of an ocean, represents the souls of the many Africans who did not finish their journey of the Middle Passage. I will let you, as viewer, debate the meaning of this journey.
226:
In 1988, citizens of New Haven resurrected the
Amistad Committee to organize events to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Amistad affair. Most prominently, the committee raised funds for the New Haven memorial to be constructed, formed an assembly to construct the
236:
through his friend Earl J. Hooks while he was on holiday. He and four other artists submitted portfolios, but none of them passed jury approval. After asking the artists to re-submit, three were invited to come to the city. Only
Hamilton accepted the invitation.
295:
The top of the
Memorial is a result of the emotional level of my personal experiences researching for information about slave trading. From the second floor of City Hall you look down and contemplate this final view of the Memorial. Could this be our brother,
183:) in which the captives overran the ship, threatening death, and ordered the surviving crew to chart a course back to their native Sierra Leone. In a secret act of defiance, the navigator steered the ship north towards the American coast in hopes of rescue.
210:, and their freedom, many members of the community volunteered their aid: the residents of New Haven gave them housing, tutoring, and legal aid. Participating residents formed the Amistad Committee, and among them was
164:
was an
American ship owned by a Cuban Spaniard that was retrofitted to carry slaves. It is historically infamous because of the revolt which occurred on board the ship in 1839. The long journey of the 53
179:, bound for Cuba to be sold as slaves. Upon their secret arrival in Cuba, the captives were transferred to 'La Amistad'. On July 2, 1839, a revolt was led by Sengbe Pieh (also known as
570:
401:
565:
280:
511:
Antonio, Mindy (27 September 1992). "Tribute to
Amistad leader unveiled in New Haven At Amistad memorial unveiling, a plea for today's Africans".
540:
560:
545:
550:
137:
575:
457:
275:, which sits on the site where the Amistad captives were held during their trial. Each of the three sides of the memorial depicts
140:
on Church Street, the location where the Amistad slaves were jailed during their trial. It was dedicated on September 18, 1992.
371:
232:
also a thin hope and chance that some of the spirit that resulted in Cinque’s and his cohorts’ freedom might be generated."
484:
337:
133:
case, in which the Amistad captives were ruled to be acting in self-defense, thereby granting them the right to mutiny.
215:
130:
381:
555:
218:. The Amistad captives assimilated into the community, and would spend time in the town green with the locals.
154:
122:
585:
207:
188:
89:
169:
captives responsible for the revolt began when they were abducted from their home in present-day
242:, the sculptor of the Amistad Memorial, is an African-American artist, and was born in 1947 in
200:
110:
81:
516:
326:
Limauro, Mary Ann. "Working together for freedom". Vol. 7, no. 4. American Visions.
247:
8:
580:
402:"New Haven to celebrate 175th anniversary of Amistad, the slave ship that led to freedom"
272:
377:
211:
192:
461:
243:
276:
180:
520:
125:. The affair was a kidnapping of 53 Africans and their subsequent mutiny aboard
490:
284:
426:
345:
534:
297:
170:
166:
489:. New Haven: The Amistad Committee of New Haven. p. 8. Archived from
288:
239:
196:
118:
114:
85:
39:
395:
393:
419:
283:
claims that this fourth side could represent slaves drowning along the
160:
390:
187:
was escorted ashore by USRC Washington after being spotted off the
28:
214:, who defended the Amistad captives in their case in front of the
305:
175:
451:
449:
447:
444:
304:
For the memorial, Hamilton employed a technique known as
291:
comments on the meaning of the top side on his website:
330:
504:
571:Buildings and structures in New Haven, Connecticut
532:
221:
281:"Art of the Amistad and the Portrait of Cinque"
173:, and forced aboard the Portuguese slave ship
566:Tourist attractions in New Haven, Connecticut
373:Art of the Amistad and the Portrait of Cinqué
482:
365:
363:
27:
399:
16:Sculpture in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
376:. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
369:
510:
360:
129:. It led to a historically significant
541:Monuments and memorials in Connecticut
533:
73:3.04 m (10 ft); tall
206:After the Amistad Africans won their
203:, to be tried for mutiny and murder.
458:"The Making of the Amistad Memorial"
455:
309:Cinqué are sculpted in high relief.
271:The memorial is located in front of
400:Hernandez, Esteban (5 March 2016).
325:
117:, is a bronze sculpture created by
13:
136:The memorial sits in front of the
14:
597:
561:Culture of New Haven, Connecticut
546:Outdoor sculptures in Connecticut
551:Sculptures of men in Connecticut
427:"Proposal for Amistad Sculpture"
576:Sculptures of African Americans
121:to recognize the events of the
476:
319:
266:
199:. The slaves were interned in
1:
312:
257:
222:Commissioning of the memorial
148:
483:Clifton H., Johnson (2007).
155:United States v. The Amistad
49:Dedicated September 18, 1992
7:
131:United States Supreme Court
10:
602:
370:Macaluso, Laura A (2016).
246:, currently residing near
152:
143:
95:
77:
69:
61:
53:
45:
35:
26:
21:
486:The Legacy of La Amistad
556:Statues in Connecticut
342:Amistad Committee, Inc
302:
201:New Haven, Connecticut
293:
348:on 16 November 2016
273:New Haven City Hall
138:New Haven City Hall
123:1839 Amistad Affair
406:New Haven Register
212:John Quincy Adams
103:
102:
99:City of New Haven
593:
525:
524:
513:Hartford Courant
508:
502:
501:
499:
498:
480:
474:
473:
471:
469:
460:. Archived from
453:
442:
441:
439:
437:
423:
417:
416:
414:
412:
397:
388:
387:
367:
358:
357:
355:
353:
344:. Archived from
334:
328:
327:
323:
244:Cincinnati, Ohio
107:Amistad Memorial
57:Bronze sculpture
31:
22:Amistad Memorial
19:
18:
601:
600:
596:
595:
594:
592:
591:
590:
586:1992 sculptures
531:
530:
529:
528:
509:
505:
496:
494:
481:
477:
467:
465:
454:
445:
435:
433:
425:
424:
420:
410:
408:
398:
391:
384:
368:
361:
351:
349:
336:
335:
331:
324:
320:
315:
269:
260:
224:
157:
151:
146:
46:Completion date
17:
12:
11:
5:
599:
589:
588:
583:
578:
573:
568:
563:
558:
553:
548:
543:
527:
526:
503:
475:
456:Hamilton, Ed.
443:
418:
389:
382:
359:
329:
317:
316:
314:
311:
287:. Its artist,
285:Middle Passage
268:
265:
259:
256:
248:Louisville, KY
223:
220:
153:Main article:
150:
147:
145:
142:
101:
100:
97:
93:
92:
79:
75:
74:
71:
67:
66:
63:
59:
58:
55:
51:
50:
47:
43:
42:
37:
33:
32:
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
598:
587:
584:
582:
579:
577:
574:
572:
569:
567:
564:
562:
559:
557:
554:
552:
549:
547:
544:
542:
539:
538:
536:
522:
518:
514:
507:
493:on 2016-11-19
492:
488:
487:
479:
464:on 2014-07-24
463:
459:
452:
450:
448:
432:
428:
422:
407:
403:
396:
394:
385:
383:9781442253414
379:
375:
374:
366:
364:
347:
343:
339:
333:
322:
318:
310:
307:
301:
299:
292:
290:
286:
282:
278:
277:Joseph Cinqué
274:
264:
255:
251:
249:
245:
241:
237:
233:
230:
219:
217:
216:Supreme Court
213:
209:
204:
202:
198:
194:
190:
186:
182:
181:Joseph Cinqué
178:
177:
172:
168:
163:
162:
156:
141:
139:
134:
132:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
108:
98:
94:
91:
87:
83:
80:
76:
72:
68:
65:Joseph Cinque
64:
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
41:
38:
34:
30:
25:
20:
512:
506:
495:. Retrieved
491:the original
485:
478:
466:. Retrieved
462:the original
434:. Retrieved
430:
421:
409:. Retrieved
405:
372:
350:. Retrieved
346:the original
341:
332:
321:
303:
294:
270:
261:
252:
238:
234:
228:
225:
205:
184:
174:
171:Sierra Leone
159:
158:
135:
126:
106:
104:
468:15 November
436:15 November
352:15 November
289:Ed Hamilton
267:Description
240:Ed Hamilton
197:Long Island
119:Ed Hamilton
115:Connecticut
86:Connecticut
40:Ed Hamilton
581:La Amistad
535:Categories
497:2016-11-18
411:21 October
338:"About Us"
313:References
258:Dedication
208:court case
185:La Amistad
161:La Amistad
149:Background
127:La Amistad
70:Dimensions
521:255386503
111:New Haven
82:New Haven
517:ProQuest
78:Location
431:YouTube
229:Amistad
193:Montauk
144:History
62:Subject
519:
380:
306:relief
176:Tecora
54:Medium
36:Artist
298:Foone
167:Mende
96:Owner
470:2016
438:2016
413:2016
378:ISBN
354:2016
105:The
90:U.S.
191:of
189:tip
109:in
537::
515:.
446:^
429:.
404:.
392:^
362:^
340:.
195:,
113:,
88:,
84:,
523:.
500:.
472:.
440:.
415:.
386:.
356:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
