By Jacqueline Tsai, Andrea Wisniewski, Tonio Domino, Sam Hedin

Topics: Coded Spirituals by Andrea Wisniewski Capture of La Amistad by Jacqueline Tsai Independence of Haiti by Tonio Domino Nat Tuner’s Rebellion by Sam Hedin

FAMOUS SPIRITUALS: Follow the Drinking Gourd Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Steal Away Can’t Hear Nobody Pray

 Spread a secret message  Inform other slaves about church  Tell a story  Praise God  Organize an escape

“When the Sun comes back And the first slave calls Follow the Drinking Gourd For an old man is a’ waiting’ for to carry you to freedom If you follow the Drinking Gourd Winter Time The Big Dipper Peg Leg Joe

The River makes a very good road The dead trees will show you the way Left food, peg foot travelling on Follow the Drinking Gourd The water will lose your scent Peg Leg Joe marked dead tress on the route The Big Dipper

The river ends between two hills Follow the Drinking Gourd There’s another river on the other side Follow the Drinking Gourd Follow Tombigbee river Big Dipper Follow river after the Tombigbee river The Big Dipper

When the Big River meets the little river Follow the Drinking Gourd The Old man is a’ waiting for to carry you to freedom If you follow the Drinking Gourd Continue to follow the river Follow the Big Dipper Peg Leg Joe helps run away slaves Big Dipper

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Comin’ for to carry you home Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Comin’ for to carry you home Underground railroad conductor Bring slaves to Canada

I look over Jordan And WHAT did I see Comin’ for to carry me home A band of angels comin’ after me Comin’ for to carry me home Jordan is referring to Canada Underground Railroad Conductors bringing them to Canada Bring them to Canada

Steal Away Steal Away, Steal Away Steal Away to Jesus Steal Away, Steal Away home I ain’t got long to stay here Running away

Couldn’t hear nobody pray Way down yonder by myself Couldn’t hear nobody pray An escape failed and they were going to meet to regroup. Mostly means somebody died

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was the first ruler of Haiti, and hated white people.

Bonaparte noticed L’ouvertures position but saw him as an obstacle to a profitable colony. All L’ouverture wanted was no slavery But most blacks in Haiti wanted to expel all whites off the island

Haiti gained its independence for quite a while but then the French launched an invasion under General Charles Leclerc in January of Everyone joined the French, including some of the chief Black leaders, even Christophe and Dessalines

In May, Toussaint formally agreed to surrender, in exchange for Leclerc to not reinstate slavery in Haiti. A year later, yellow fever destroyed the French and drove them out.

 Their destination was Port-au-Prince  The estimated length of the trip was 2 ½ to 3 days  Storm made the trip much longer  On the third day the captain ordered to start rationing food

 One of the Africans asked the cook what would happen to them on board. The cook replied that the Africans would be killed and eaten.

 Paranoid, one of the Africans, Sengbe Pieh, located a loose nail on deck  Picked his shackles and freed himself and others  Went to the cargo, and armed themselves with sugarcane knives  Killed the captain, cook, and all the white people except, Montez and Ruiz

 Sengbe Pieh spared their lives  In return they would sail the ship back to Africa  During the day, they sailed East (towards Africa)  At night, they sailed northwest (towards United States)

 Took over the ship  On August 26 the naval ship, the Washington, took captive of La Amistad because of suspicions on the tattered ship  Pieh was trialed for murder of the cook and captain  Won his trial

 He eventually returned to Africa with missionaries  When he returned to his village, it was destroyed  He later suspected that they were sold into slavery Clip of Sengbe’s family from La Amistad movie.