Discussion Topics / Questions For Use With Primary Documents
Kale's Letter and John Quincy Adams' Journal/Diary Entry
Kale:
- What do you learn about Kale from his letter?
- Who may have influenced way Kale wrote his letter?
- Who helped him write it?
- What role did the abolitionists play in Kale's life?
- Who was this letter addressed to? What was its purpose?
- Who might have read this letter aside from John Quincy Adams?
John Quincy Adams:
- What do you learn from the diary entry?
- What were Adams' feelings about the Amistad Africans?
- What was he worried about with regard to the pending trial?
Links to the two articles discussed in this exercise:
Visit the Mystic Seaport Museum online and see an image of the original documents and further discussion.
http://amistad.mysticseaport.org/library/journals/ mhs.jqa.1840.12.12.html
http://amistad.mysticseaport.org/library/letters/ mhs.kale.to.jqa.html
Original Document
Kale to John Quincy Adams
Jan. 4, 1841
Adams Family Papers
Massachusetts Historical Society
Westville, Jan. 4, 1841
Dear Friend Mr. Adams:
I want to write a letter to you because you love Mendi people, and you talk to the grand court. We want to tell you one thing. Jose Ruiz say we born in Havana, he tell lie. We stay in Havana 10 days and 10 nights. We stay no more. We all born in Mendi--we no understand the Spanish language. Mendi people been in America 17 moons. We talk America language a little, not very good. We write every day; we write plenty letters. We read most all time. We read all Matthew, and Mark, and Luke, and John, and plenty of little books. We love books very much. We want you to ask the Court what we have done wrong. What for Americans keep us in prison. Some people say Mendi people crazy, Mendi people dolt, because we no talk America language. America people no talk Mendi language. American people crazy dolts? They tell bad things about Mendi people and we no understand. Some men say Mendi people very happy because they laugh and have plenty to eat. Mr. Pendleton come and Mendi people all look sorry because they think about Mendiland and friends we no see now. Mr. Pendleton say we feel anger and white men afraid of us. Then we no look sorry again. That's why we laugh. But Mendi people feel bad. O, we can't tell how bad. Some people say, Mendi people no have souls. Why we feel bad, we no have no souls? We want to be free very much.
Dear friend Mr. Adams, you have children, you have friends, you love them, you feel very sorry if Mendi people come and take all to Africa. We feel bad for our friends, and our friends all feel bad for us. Americans not take us in ship. We were on shore and Americans tell us slave ship catch us. They say we make you free. If they make us free they tell truth, if they not make us free they tell lie. If America give us free we glad, if they no give us free we sorry--we sorry for Mendi people little, we sorry for America people great deal because God punish liars. We want you to tell court that Mendi people no want to go back to Havanna, we no want to be killed. Dear friend, we want you to know how we feel. Mendi people think, think, think. nobody know. Teacher, he know, we tell him some. Mendi people have got souls. We think we know God punish us if we tell lie. We never tell lie; we speak the truth. What for Mendi people afraid? Because they have got souls. Cook say he kill, he eat Mendi people--we afraid--we kill cook. Then captain kill one man with knife, and cut Mendi people plenty. We never kill captain if he no kill us. If Court ask who bring Mendi people to America, we bring ourselves. Ceci hold the rudder. All we want is make us free, not send us to Havanna. Send us home. Give us Missionary. We tell Mendi people Americans spoke truth. We give them good tidings. We tell them there is one god. You must worship him. Make us free and we will bless you and all Mendi people will bless you, Dear friend Mr.Adams.
Your friend,
Kale
Original Document
Adams. John Quincy.
Personal Diary. Adams Family Papers.
Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.
Washington. Saturday. 12 December 1840
12. V. Saturday
Laurence
Rain great part of the day which confined me to the house.
Mr. Force and Mr. Laurence came as a committee from the National Institution for the Promotion of Science, and stated that they proposed to hold a meeting of the society on the first Monday, the 4th of January next, when a discourse is to be delivered by Mr. Poinsett. The Society are desirous of obtaining the use of the Hall of the House of Representatives that evening for that purpose and wished me to offer the resolution that it be granted, which I promised to do. They said the Institution was likely to flourish, and that great interest was taken in it by the people here. Mr. Force left with me a memorandum of two books which I borrowed of him more than three years since and which I have not yet returned.
This day was fully occupied and quickly passed away. I made out my list of the persons to whom the documents of which extra copies are printed by order of the House are to be sent. My rule of distribution is: 1. One copy to each of the Editors of the newspapers published at Plymouth, the Old Colony Memorial, Hingham Patriot and Quincy Patriot, The Boston Courier and Evening Gazette. 2. To my son and a few other fraternal friends. 3. To the Senators in the Legislature of Massachusetts from the Counties of Plymouth and Norfolk. 4. To one representative from each of the 24 towns in the 12th congressional District of Massachusetts. My portion of the extra documents is seldom sufficient for the whole of this supply, often for not half of them. My son, the Newspaper Editors and the County Senators are first served. The others are furnished according to the numbers of my allowance. I keep lists of the extra documents printed by order of the House of each session and of the names of the persons to whom I send them. I made out my lists for the present session; and dispatched by the mail 17 copies of the President's annual Message. But the lists are imperfect till the meeting of the Massachusetts Legislature shall ascertain the senators for the counties of Plymouth and Norfolk, and the Representatives from the 24 towns of the 12 Congregational districts.
I thought it necessary to look into this case of the Amistad captives to prepare for the argument before the Supreme Court in January; of which I dare scarcely to think. I read specially the Article in The American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter of 1 October 1840, entitled the Amistad case, p. 48-51, with deep anguish of heart and a painful search of means to define and expose the abominable conspiracy of Executive and Judicial of this government against the lives of these wretched men--How shall the facts be brought out? How shall it be possible to comment upon them with becoming temper--with calmness--with moderation--with firmness--with address to avoid being silenced, and to escape the imminent danger of giving the adversary the advantage by overheated zeal. Of all the dangers before me, that of losing my self possession is the most formidable--I am yet unable to prepare the outline of the argument which I must be ready to offer the second week in January. Let me not forget my duty.
