- 1839
| Jan 08 | The Amistad civil trial begins in New Haven. | Ref: 87 |
| Apr 10 | (day unspecified) The African Cinque captured by other Africans, taken to the slave factory in Lomboko and sold to a Portuguese slave trader. | Ref: 87 |
| Jun 28 | The Amistad departs Havana Cuba with 53 slaves as cargo. | Ref: 3 |
| Jul 02 | Joseph Cinque, a slave, leads a slave mutiny on the Spanish schooner Armistad. Ref | |
| Jul 30 | Slave rebels, take over slaver Amistad. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 26 | The Amistad is captured off Long Island by the USS Washington and escorted New London, Connecticut. Two months earlier, the Africans aboard the slave ship had seized control of the vessel in a bloody mutiny. | Ref: 3 |
| Sep 10 | (day unspecified) Lewis Tappan forms Friend of Amistad Africans Committee; Judge Thompson presides in Circuit Court hearing on Amistad criminal case; case dismissed by Judge Thompson for jurisdictional reasons; civil case left for District Court resolution. | Ref: 87 |
| Sep 19 | The Amistad trial begins in Hartford CT amid a carnival atmosphere. Cinqué, the leader of the revolt, was a black folk hero; to others he was a barbarian who deserved execution for murder. Ref | |
| Oct 10 | (day unspecified) Professor Josiah Gibbs locates interperter, James Covey, and the Africans from the Amistad are able to tell their story; teaching Africans the English language and Christianity began; Cinque and others file charges of assualt and false imprisonment against Ruiz and Montes. | Ref: 87 |
| Nov 10 | (day unspecified) District Court meets and postpones the Amistad case. | Ref: 87 |
| Dec 10 | (day unspecified) The slave factory at Lomboko, Sierra Leone (where the Amistad was originally loaded with its slave cargo) raided by British and all slaves there liberated. | Ref: 87 |
- 1840
| Jan 13 | Judge Andrew Hudson presiding in District Court rules the Africans from the Amistad civil trial are to be turned over to the President for return to Africa. Ref | |
| Aug 10 | (day unspecified) The Amistad Africans are taken to Westville. | Ref: 87 |
| Sep 10 | (day unspecified) Judge Thompson of the Circuit Court upholds District Court decision; government appeals to U.S. Supreme Court. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 10 | (day unspecified) Former President John Quincy Adams is persuaded to join Roger Baldwin in arguing the case for the Africans before the Supreme Court. | Ref: 87 |
- 1841
| Feb 22 | The Supreme Court begins hearing the Amistad trial (due to an appeal by pro-slavery President VanBuren). They are defended by for President John Quincy Adams. Ref | |
| Mar 09 | The Supreme Court rules (by a single vote) that the Africans on the Amistad had been illegally enslaved and orders them freed. Ref | |
| Nov 25 | The 35 remaining Amistad captives depart from New York for Africa on the "Gentleman". Ref | |
- 1842
| Jan 10 | (day unspecified) The Amistad Africans arrive in Sierra Leone; mission experiences problems; many of the Africans abandon missionaries. | Ref: 87 |
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The Amistad Trial Chronology