into the midst of a people professing freedom, yet keeping their feet on the necks of millions of slaves?  The eyes of all the friends of human rights turned instinctively to John Quincy Adams. Nor were their expectations disappointed.  Without hesitation he espoused the cause of the Amistad negroes.  At the age of seventy-four, he appeared in the Supreme Court of the United States to advocate their cause.  He entered upon this labor with the enthusiasm of a youthful barrister, and displayed forensic talents, a critical knowledge of law, and of the inalienable rights of man, which would have added to the renown of the most eminent jurists of the day.

“When he went to the Supreme Court, after an absence of thirty years, and arose to defend a body of friendless negroes, torn from their home and most unjustly held in thrall—­when he asked the Judges to excuse him at once both for the trembling faults of age and the inexperience of youth, having labored so long elsewhere that he had forgotten the rules of court—­when he summed up the conclusion of the whole matter, and brought before those judicial but yet moistening eyes, the great men whom he had once met there—­Chase, Cushing, Martin, Livingston, and Marshal himself; and while he remembered that they were ‘gone, gone, all gone,’ remembered also the eternal Justice that is never gone—­the sight was sublime.  It was not an old patrician of Rome, who had been Consul, Dictator, coming out of his honored retirement at the Senate’s call, to stand in the Forum to levy new armies, marshal them to victory afresh, and gain thereby new laurels for his brow; but it was a plain citizen of America, who had held an office far greater than that of Consul, King, or Dictator, his hand reddened by no man’s blood, expecting no honors, but coming in the name of justice, to plead for the slave, for the poor barbarian negro of Africa, for Cinque and Grabbo for their deeds comparing them to Harmodius and Aristogeiton, whose classic memory made each bosom thrill.  That was worth all his honors—­it was worth while to live fourscore years for that.” [Footnote:  Theodore Parker.]

This effort of Mr. Adams was crowned with complete success.  The Supreme Court decided that the Africans were entitled to their freedom, and ordered them to be liberated.  In due time they were enabled, by the assistance of the charitable, to sail for Africa, and take with them many of the implements of civilized life.  They arrived in safety at Sierre Leone, and were allowed once more to mingle with their friends, and enjoy God’s gift of freedom, in a Pagan land—­having fortunately escaped from a cruel and life-long bondage, in the midst of a Christian people.

In reply to a letter requesting Mr. Adams to write out his argument in this case, he concludes as follows:  “I shall endeavor, as you desire, to write out, in full extent, my argument before the Court, in which all this was noticed and commented upon.  If it has no other effect, I hope it will at least have that of admonishing the free people of this Union to keep perpetually watchful eyes upon every act of their executive administration, having any relation to the subject of slavery.”