"Most of the prisoners told the interpreter that they are from Mandingo"

This quote by Lewis Tappan is describing a scenario in which a team of prisoners were being examined by an interpreter. The prisoners were most likely slaves of some kind, and the interpreter was likely inquiring questions regarding their identification as well as history. The quote recommends that a lot of the prisoners informed the interpreter that they were from Mandingo, which is a region in West Africa. This can recommend that the prisoners were likely from West Africa, and also were likely captured during a conflict or war in the region. It might additionally suggest that the detainees were likely of Mandingo descent, and were most likely captured due to their ethnic background. This quote is a reminder of the physical violence as well as injustice that has been caused upon people of African descent throughout history. It is a pointer of the significance of acknowledging the battles of those that have actually been oppressed as well as marginalized.