ABSTRACT

This essay examines the histories of two enslaved Africans living in Cuba and sent to prison in the mid-nineteenth century, to consider the ways in which prison represented a path to freedom within and beyond slave societies. Formerly enslaved people in Cuba and Puerto Rico, released from bondage upon entering the carceral system, were often resold into slavery upon completion of their prison sentences – but not always. The essay focuses first on the case of Gregorio Lucumí, imprisoned in Cuba, whose civil status post-sentence was debated by authorities seeking to discourage crime as a means to secure prison sentences that might yield freedom from slavery. It then turns to the lengthier case of Isidoro Gangá, sent to prison in Melilla, North Africa, and who, post-sentence, appealed for freedom via free soil principles.

摘要

本文考察了居住在古巴并在19世纪中叶被送入监狱的两名被奴役非洲人的历史，以探讨监狱如何代表奴隶社会内部和外部的通向自由之路。古巴和波多黎各的前奴隶制人民在进入监狱系统后从奴役中获释，常常在服完刑期后被转卖为奴隶制，但并非总是如此。本文首先关注被囚禁在古巴的格雷戈里奥·卢库米（GregorioLucumí）案，当局试图对罪名进行辩论，以劝阻犯罪作为一种手段，以确保可以免于奴隶制的徒刑。然后，转向更长的IsidoroGangá案，该案被送往北非梅利利亚的监狱，在宣判后，他通过自由土壤原则呼吁自由。