Description

A letter from Joshus Leavitt informing Lewis Tappan that he has applied to both the Washington Globe and the National Intelligencer for insertion of an article written by Theodore Sedgwick (writing as "Veto"), but both papers have declined. He states that, "[Francis Preston] Blair has not directly or positively declined, but said he did not think he should do it. [William Winston] Seaton entirely declined." Leavitt writes that John Quincy Adams desires a written refusal from both editors; so, Leavitt will have Seth Merrill Gates "or some other member of Congress to make a written application, so as to receive a written reply." Leavitt reports that Henry G. Wheeler has applied to Adams to "report the case and publish it on his own account with a copy right." He believes that "our object & policy would be quite different from Wheeler's, ours being to give the widest diffusion to the reports & his to [illegible] it by a copy right." Leavitt wishes to know the views of the committee on whether to hire Wheeler as a reporter or have Tappan do it and relates Adams' feeling that "he shall revive all the bitterness of the [slave?] party against him, if he argues the case" but he is willing to endure all this" and that he believes the court will not recognize the Colonization Society as having a right to appear in the Supreme Court case.

From Collection

Slavery and the U.S. Supreme Court: The Amistad Case

Record Contributed By

Amistad Research Center