Description: (Slave)
Joseph Cinqué, also known as Sengbe Pieh, was a West African man of the Mende people who led a successful revolt on the Spanish slave ship La Amistad in 1839. Following capture by the US Revenue-Marine, Cinqué and his fellow Africans were tried for mutiny and murder. The case, United States v. The Amistad, reached the U.S. Supreme Court where they were found to have lawfully defended themselves against enslavement. Cinqué's actions drew attention to the illegal Atlantic slave trade and played a role in securing the eventual release of him and his companions.