Artist: John Warner Barber, American, 1798–1885, Death of Capt. Ferrer, the Captain of the Amistad, July, 1839, 19th century, Woodcut and watercolor, sheet: 20.64 × 46.99 cm (8 1/8 × 18 1/2 in.), In a desperate effort to return to the homes from which

Artist: John Warner Barber, American, 1798–1885, Death of Capt. Ferrer, the Captain of the Amistad, July, 1839, 19th century, Woodcut and watercolor, sheet: 20.64 × 46.99 cm (8 1/8 × 18 1/2 in.), In a desperate effort to return to the homes from which they had been kidnapped and sold into bondage, a group of West Africans led by Sengbeh Pieh, or Joseph Cinqué, mutinied aboard the schooner Amistad during their voyage to the Caribbean in July 1839. The Amistad and its passengers drifted up the American coast until the U.S. Navy took them into custody in Long Island Sound. The Africans were jailed in New Haven, Connecticut, where their struggle for freedom became a cause célèbre in America’s debate over slavery. The Amistad insurrection inspired a torrent of popular responses, including this woodcut by John Warner Barber, which served as the frontispiece of his pamphlet, A History of the Amistad Captives, recounting the mutineers’ legal battles.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office /> , Made in United States, American, 19th century, Works on Paper - Prints. (Photo by: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)