Holabird, William S. (1794-1855) [Brief from the Circuit Court regarding the Amistad case]
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05636.02 Author/Creator: Holabird, William S. (1794-1855) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph document Date: April-June 1840 Pagination: 17 p. ; 33.5 x 20 cm. Order a Copy
Referring to Lieutenant Thomas R. Gedney, includes information pertaining to the Amistad case: "Gidney & others v. The Amistad Negroes. Circuit court U.S." Considers four principle points: "shall the vessel, & the blacks, be restored to the Spanish Government from whence they came;" "whether these negroes shall be restored to the Spanish Govt or be sit at liberty here;" "The Spanish Govt claim that the Amistad being a Sp vessel, and not having violated the laws of nations, on the municipal laws of this country... that the Courts of no other nation can hold jurisdiction of them;" and "whether it is the duty of our Govt under the treaty with Spain to surrender this vessel & these people to that Govt." This brief has sustained severe damage from water, mold and insects and has a consequent loss of text at the outer margins. Extremely fragile.
Holabird served as U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut 1834-1841.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.