As the transport of slaves from Africa to the Americas was illegal, the ship owners fraudulently described the Africans as having been born in Cuba. The court had to decide if the Africans were to be considered salvage and the property of Naval officers who had taken custody of the ship, whether they were the property of the Cuban buyers, or of Spain as the Queen of Spain claimed, or lastly, if the circumstances of their capture and transportation meant they were free.
No comments:
Post a Comment