In 1839, the U.S. navy confiscated a Spanish ship, La Amistad, off the coast of Long Island, NY. Aboard were Africans and two Spaniards, who insisted the Africans were their slaves who had taken over the ship, and a treaty between the United States and Spain stated that all “property” be restored. American abolitionists, however, argued the Africans were free people based on international law. How would the practice of diplomacy be used to enforce the rule of law in this complicated case? Please join us for a discussion with NMAD’s Public Historian, Dr. Alison Mann to discover how this case challenged America’s democratic ideals.