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Difficulty: Very hardShipboard Rebellions and Middle Passage Resistance

Read the excerpt from an 1842 letter written by U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster regarding the aftermath of the rebellion on the American slave ship *Creole* and answer the question below.

"A vessel on the high seas, in time of peace, engaged in a lawful voyage, is, according to the law of nations, under the exclusive jurisdiction of the State to which her flag belongs... If such vessel, by disaster, mutiny, or other unavoidable accident, be driven into the ports of a friendly power, she does not lose the character which belonged to her on the high seas, and the authorities of such port have no right to interfere with the state of relations, personal or proprietary, of the persons on board, as established by the laws of their own country."

Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of the *Creole* rebellion, which of the following best describes how the British response to the mutiny challenged Webster's legal assertions?

  1. A
    The British authorities ruled that the captives were passive victims of a maritime accident rather than active agents of rebellion, releasing them solely on humanitarian grounds.
  2. B
    The British authorities based their decision on the legal precedents of land-based uprisings like the Stono Rebellion, arguing that shipboard revolts fell under the same domestic criminal jurisdiction.
  3. The British authorities asserted that their domestic laws outlawing slavery took precedence over U.S. property claims once the ship entered their territorial waters, thereby securing the freedom achieved by the captives' revolt.Answer
  4. D
    The British authorities advised the captives that shipboard rebellions were ineffective compared to covert plantation resistance, urging them to return to the United States to petition the federal government.

Answer

The British authorities asserted that their domestic laws outlawing slavery took precedence over U.S. property claims once the ship entered their territorial waters, thereby securing the freedom achieved by the captives' revolt.
The correct answer is correct because the British government refused to honor the United States' demand for the return of the *Creole* mutineers. By asserting that British municipal law (which abolished slavery in 1833) superseded U.S. slave laws within British territorial waters, the British authorities validated the self-emancipatory actions of the captives, allowing them to remain free in the Bahamas.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source excerpt by U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster.
Identify that Webster argues that ships on the high seas remain under the exclusive jurisdiction of their home nation, even if forced into foreign ports by mutiny or accident, and thus local foreign authorities cannot interfere with proprietary relations (i.e., slavery).
To establish the legal argument of the U.S. government regarding the preservation of slaveholder property rights during maritime incidents.
2
Recall the historical context and outcome of the *Creole* rebellion of 1841.
Enslaved captives led by Madison Washington seized control of the vessel *Creole* and sailed to Nassau, Bahamas, a British territory where slavery had been abolished.
To contrast Webster's legal assertions with the actual historical event and the actions taken by the captives.
3
Evaluate the British legal response to the ship's arrival and Webster's demands.
The British authorities rejected the U.S. claim, declaring that once the ship entered British waters, British law applied. Under British law, the captives were free individuals and could not be returned to slavery.
To determine how the British response directly rejected the principles of extraterritoriality and chattel status asserted by Webster.
4
Select the option that accurately represents how this British decision challenged the U.S. position.
The correct option correctly explains that the British prioritized their own domestic abolition laws over U.S. property claims, validating the self-emancipatory actions of the mutineers.
To connect the legal analysis of the primary source with the historical actions that upheld captive agency.

Key Concept

The Creole Rebellion and Maritime Self-Emancipation
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Topics

Shipboard Rebellions and Middle Passage Resistance

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