August 26 in American History

August 26, 1839 — the Amistad reaches American waters

A U.S. survey brig seized the schooner Amistad off Long Island, carrying 53 Africans who had risen up against their captors. The case went to the Supreme Court, where 73-year-old John Quincy Adams — decades past his presidency — argued for their freedom and won. The Declaration's words, tested in court.