CLEP US History I

Answer: C - The Supreme Court decision in the Amistad case was based on international law, which banned the slave trade. The Supreme Court found that because the people held on the Amistad were illegally enslaved, they were being held against their will and were thus entitled to use any means necessary to restore their freedom. The verdict that the slaves were free had more to do with international law than the principles of American law, which would not have allowed the slaves to bring such a case.