Bailey Kolinski

December 11, 2015

Block C

John Quincy Adams Speech

Slavery began in the United States in 1619 when the first African
slaves were brought over to a colony called Jamestown. It was not until
December 6, 1865 when the 13th Amendment was ratified in the
Constitution was slavery officially over. During that time thousands and
thousands of Africans were captured from their home and brought to
an unfamiliar world, separated from their family, they were forced to
work. It the slaves would not work or just because, they would be
punished, the slave owners would whip the slaves until the slave
owners felt like the slave had learned their lesson. John Quincy Adams
was the sixth president of the United States. It was not until after his
term that he realized how wrongly slaves were being treated. He was
able to help the slaves aboard the Amistad by revealing the truth. John
Quincy Adams speech reveals the truth about Americans, they
contradict what they say, are selfish and feel the need to make sure
that everyone like them.
Over the years the people of The United States of America have
formed an identity. Part of that identity is slavery. During 1619-1865
the identity that Americans have worked so hard to create began to

change and starts to take on a new one. Declaration of Independence

is one of the great documents that has become one of the biggest part
of our identity. John Quincy Adams was able to see that the identity
that we had worked so hard to create has changed and that the South
was proud of what we had become, contradicting why the Declaration
of Independence was written. If slavery was what Americans wanted to
define us what are we to do with that embarrassing, annoying
document, The Declaration of Independence (Paragraph 10). The
Declaration of Independence states all mencreated equal,
inalienable rights, life, liberty (Paragraph 10). John Quincy Adams
does not understand why these men have not already been granted
their freedom based. Which leaves John Quincy Adams to that if he
were white, he wouldnt be standing before this court fighting for his
life instead songs would be writtengreat authors of our time would
fill bookshis story would be told and retold in our classroom
(Paragraph 9). But zero of this would be told because of the color of his
skin. Is this what we as Americans want to contradict our identity. It
seems to be selfish.
Everyone is guilty of being selfish. Some people are more selfish
than others. When slavery was popular that was the time people were
being the most selfish. During this time the white men treated their
slaves as property not as people. Slaves were sold and brought
everyday, taken from their family without a blink of an eye from the

white men. These people do not seen to care how badly they emotional
hurt the slaves, as long as they are hard workers. Cinque was taken
from his home in African and put on board a slave ship heading to
America. His time on that ship was tortures. He was given little to no
food, packed right on top of one another. He watched as people were
randomly pick and thrown over board with rocks tied to their legs so
they would drowned. These white men did not care that they had to kill
these people because they do not view them as human or that have
value but as property that can make them rich. These white men are
selfish; all they care about are themselves. The only way to get
Americans stop being selfish is in order to get someone to like them.
Humans feel the need to be constantly liked by someone.
America feels like they need every other country to like them. In the
Amistad the President feels the need to try and make everyone happy
in order to get the reelected. He feels so much pressure that he sends
this case to the Supreme Court, making it look he does not have trust
in the smaller courts under the Supreme Court. John Quincy Adams
states I differ with the keen minds of the South, and with our
president who apparently shares their views (Paragraph 7). Previous
to John Quincy Adams speech, the President and a Senate from the
South had a conversation that the President would lose the votes from
the South in the upcoming reelection if he did not do something about
the case. Someone else that the President wanted make happy was the

Queen of Spain. This would not be a problem if the Queen were not an
eleven-year-old girl, who has little experience running a kingdom.
Making people happy has a price to pay and it is not a good one.
Americans contradicting what they say, being selfish and the
need to make sure that everyone likes them is something that is
revealed in John Quincy Adams speech and the truth about Americans.
Americans needed to change their ways because more and more
people were beginning to go against them what they were doing. Even
if it starts a civil war it will shape America in a new way because the
way it was then was no way to live. Everyone deserves his or her rights
no matter what.
Amistad. Dir. Steven Speilberg. Perfs. Steven Speilberg, Debbie Allen, and Colin Wilson. Motion Picture,
1997. DVD.

"Slavery in America." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14

Dec. 2015.