August 26th, 2008 - the date important in Amistad's history brought another interesting compilation of facts, resources and opinions on the Amistad's case published on the Web.

A website FindingDuclinea.com published a well organized and structured information on the Amistad Incident.  Finding Dulcinea brands themselves as "librarian for the internet age".  pointing that "The Internet is an efficient and powerful aggregator and distributor of information. Never before has a medium given so many people access to so much. Unfortunately, the potential of the Internet is often lost in its vastness. Internet users are overwhelmed by the mass of content that appears each time a search is performed: thousands of irrelevant links obscure relevant information—often beyond discernment. Staying abreast of the latest information is a daunting and burdensome task."

FindingDulcinea is trying to address this problem by publishing Web Guides. Utilizing human insight, they attempt to turn the Internet’s overwhelming wealth of information into an understandable, comprehensive structure,  bringing credible, quality content to the fore. Compromising quality for quantity and speed, traditional search engines give you a mile-high stack of search results and leave you to determine what you need.

Check by yourself the results:

• The Amistad Revolt

• Later Developments: Slaves’ trial; lasting effects; Amistad re-creation

• Key Player: ‘Cinque’

• Opinion & Analysis: The legacy of the Amistad

• Reference: U.S. v. Amistad: Opinion of the Court

• Related Topic: Amistad, the movie

While combing today the web for "Amistadiana" I have noticed that online edition of British Times magazine reminded their readers that on August 26th "In 1839 the US Navy seized the Cuban schooner Amistad off Long Island, New York, which led to a legal ruling upholding the right of illegally enslaved Africans to mutiny on board a slave ship. "  It seems that the Amistad's visits in Liverpool, Bristol and London left some traces...

Captain Bill Pinkney, master emeritus of the Freedom Schooner Amistad, talks about the historical significance of Barack Obama and the upcoming Democratic Convention during an interview.

Bill Pinkney is master emeritus of the Amistad.  But that's just one of many identities he's lived in his 72 years. Chicagoan-turned-Nutmegger. Navy man. Around-the-world sailor. And a black American who's seen much of the racial struggles of his country...

Read the original article published by Hartford Courant on Aug. 24th, 2008 and listen to the full interview.

The schooner Amistad docked at Central Wharf in Salem,  MA on Thursday planning a short, unofficial visit there until Saturday.  The stay prolonged till Sunday as an outboard motor for the ship's dinghy still was not repaired.  Amistad will have to leave Salem later on Sunday as the fishing schooner Lettie G. Howard out of New York City arrives in port with an official visit and there is not enough docking space for both ships.

There is an interesting historical connection between Salem and the Amistad - the famous 1841 Amistad case before the U.S. Supreme Court, where the captives won their freedom.  That Court included Salem's most famous jurist, Joseph Story.

Captain John Beebe-Center plans to proceed to the next port in Official Amistad Schedule - Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard  where the schooner is expected to dock on August 27th. Sailing there will include anchoring off Provincetown on Monday and Tuesday and passing through the Cape Cod canal at the favorable tide on Tuesday.

The Amistad pulled up to the Maine State Pier on Thursday afternoon, ready to begin its stint as a floating classroom in Portland for the next week.

The visit is part of an 18-month journey commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trades in the United Kingdom and the United States. The United Kingdom outlawed the trade in 1807 and the United States followed the next year, although slavery was still practiced.

Amistad's 14,000-mile voyage retraced the routes of the slave trade. The ship set sail last year in Connecticut, traveled to England and Portugal, and then to Sierra Leone, where captives of the original La Amistad eventually returned. The ship visited other spots in Africa before sailing across the Atlantic to Barbados and U.S. ports.