James Covey
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James Benjamin Covey (''né'' Kaweli; c. 1825 – 12 October 1850) was a sailor, remembered today chiefly for his role as interpreter during the legal proceedings in the
United States federal courts The federal judiciary of the United States is one of the three branches of the federal government of the United States organized under the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution and Law of the United States, laws of the fed ...
that followed the 1839 revolt aboard the Spanish slave ship ''
La Amistad ''La Amistad'' (; Spanish for ''Friendship'') was a 19th-century two- masted schooner, owned by a Spaniard colonizing Cuba. It became renowned in July 1839 for a slave revolt by Mende captives, who had been captured and sold to European slave ...
''. Covey, who spoke Mende and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, was instrumental for enabling the Mende passengers of the ''Amistad'' to communicate with the court and to defend themselves successfully against charges of mutiny and murder.


Early life

Covey was born ''circa'' 1825 or 1826 in the southwestern highlands of what is now
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
, in
West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
. His African name, ''Kaweli'', means "war road" in Mende. At the age of five or six, he was kidnapped in a raid and sold to the wife of a chief of the Bulom tribe. Three years later he was sold to a European slaver and probably taken to the
Lomboko Lomboko was a slave factory in what is today Sierra Leone, controlled by the infamous Spanish slave trader Pedro Blanco (slave trader), Pedro Blanco. It consisted of several large depots or barracoons for slaves brought from the interior, as well ...
slave camp before transport to the Americas. At a time when the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
had already been officially outlawed, Covey was illegally shipped to
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
on board the Spanish ship ''Segundo Socorro''. That ship was intercepted by the British fleet and the captives, including Covey, were freed. Covey was put into the care of the Rev. John William Weeks, of the
Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
branch of the
Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
. He spent five years at school in Freetown before joining the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. In 1838 he joined the crew of , where he served under Captain
Charles Fitzgerald Charles Fitzgerald ( – 29 December 1887) was an Irish officer in the Royal Navy and Governor of The Gambia from 1844 until 1847, then Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855. Son of William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, Fitz ...
. Covey arrived in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on board ''Buzzard'' in June 1839.


Involvement with the ''Amistad'' case

Josiah Gibbs Josiah Willard Gibbs (; February 11, 1839 – April 28, 1903) was an American scientist who made significant theoretical contributions to physics, chemistry, and mathematics. His work on the applications of thermodynamics was instrumental in t ...
, a professor of linguistics at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
who was personally committed to the
abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...
, sought to assist the legal defense of the Africans who had come into the custody of the U.S. federal courts after their uprising on board ''
La Amistad ''La Amistad'' (; Spanish for ''Friendship'') was a 19th-century two- masted schooner, owned by a Spaniard colonizing Cuba. It became renowned in July 1839 for a slave revolt by Mende captives, who had been captured and sold to European slave ...
''. To that end, Gibbs learned to count to ten in the language spoken by most of the Africans, which turned out to be Mende. He went around the harbor in
New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
and later in New York, counting aloud, until he was approached by sailors who recognized the words. In this way, Gibbs came into contact with Covey and fellow British sailor Charles Pratt in New York, in October 1839. Gibbs took both Covey and Pratt to New Haven, where they were housed under the protection of
Lewis Tappan Lewis Tappan (May 23, 1788 – June 21, 1873) was a New York abolitionist who worked to achieve freedom for the enslaved Africans aboard the '' Amistad''. Tappan was also among the founders of the American Missionary Association in 1846, which ...
and the committee for the defense of the captives of the ''Amistad''. Covey stayed in New Haven for four months, until he had translated the testimonies of three Mende-speaking captives in the Amistad civil trial in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, in 1841. Because of his own experience, Covey was instrumental in interpreting and communicating the details of the kidnapping, terror, and eventual rebellion. Translated testimonies from the Africans participating in the mutiny revealed that the cook of the ''Amistad'' taunted the captives, telling them that the crew intended to kill and eat the prisoners. Knowing this motive was crucial in understanding that the captives acted in self-defense. The case was appealed to the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
, which ruled in ''
United States v. The Amistad ''United States v. Schooner Amistad'', 40 U.S. (15 Pet.) 518 (1841), was a United States Supreme Court case resulting from the rebellion of Africans on board the Spanish schooner ''La Amistad'' in 1839.. It was an unusual freedom suit that in ...
'' that the captives were not slaves, but freeborn men and had legally defended themselves in gaining their freedom.


Later life

In November 1841, Covey, along with the 35 Africans of the ''Amistad,'' who chose to return to Africa, boarded the ship ''Gentleman'' for the voyage. Funds had been raised for them from private sources. The Africans were accompanied to
Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
by an American missionary, William Raymond. Covey appeared to drift in and out of the Christian missionary communities in
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
. There is some evidence that he became involved with a local warlord and may have participated in a slaving expedition in 1845. After falling ill, he was shuffled back and forth between the village of Kaw-Mendi and the main mission compound, "America". Covey died on 12 October 1850 and was given a Christian burial.


In popular culture

In
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
's drama film '' Amistad'' (1997), Covey is played by British actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy A ...
.


References


Further reading

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External links


Deposition of James Covey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covey, James 1820s births 1850 deaths Interpreters Sierra Leonean sailors La Amistad 19th-century translators