The Case Of The Amistad

The Case Of The Amistad
1) The facts of the Amistad case are very important for the reason that the arguments of all the people were very important. The sides were split
pretty evenly. They were split four to three. The people who wanted the slaves to be freed and returned to Africa were the Africans themselves, Roger
Baldwin, John Quincy Adams, and Mr. Tappin. Their argument is that the Africans were kidnapped ,and they escaped and killed their captors because
they were afraid for their lives. The people that wanted the slaves to be returned to their rightful owners were the Spanish government, President
Martin Van Buren, and Ruiz and Montez. They believed that the slaves were property and not people. These facts gave me the "key details" that told
me what
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La Amistad Research Paper
In the year July 1839, a slave ship named La Amistad was traveling from Cuba to the U.S. A group of Africans were in chains on the ship because
they were sold into slavery in Cuba. A tribal leader, Cinque, lead the Africans to kill the Spanish crew and take control of the ship. The Africans
wanted to sail back to Africa so the Spanish survivors volunteered to help them, but instead they planned to steer the shipeto the United States while
no African was looking. When La Amistad reached the east coast of United States, the American Navy had stopped the ship to imprisoned 53 Africans
as runaway slaves. None of the Africans could speak a word of English, they can only speak Mende. While the Africans goes to the court to battle for
their freedom,

What Is The Theme Of The Movie Amistad
After watching the movie Amistad, I know have have a clearer understanding on how poorly people would treat their black slaves. Slavery was a
terrible time for the United states of America and is known as one of the worst things to ever happen in the world next to the holocaust. John Quincy
Adams also thought of slavery as part of the revolutionary war because in the revolutionary war we fought for freedom against great britain and now
we need to fight for blacks to have freedom also, only then will the revolutionary war be over.Until that happened slavery was a huge thing and many
blacks were killed in horrible ways, and the only question i have is how did these people consciences allow them to do all of these terrible things to
the blacks.
One reason that the whites might have been able to do all these...show more content...
If you were a young child raised on a farm that owned slaves and saw the blacks being whipped, beat, and more you might start to think that that is
how the blacks deserve to be treated and that there is nothing wrong with abusing them in anyway you want. If they grew up with those ideas in mind
they are gonna treat blacks in beyond terrible ways because of the way they saw the same things happening while they were growing up as a child.
I think that this was one of the main reasons that whites treated the blacks as bad as they did, cause if you are taught that beating the blacks is ok
as a child then that's how you are gonna treat blacks when you are older because you won't know that beating the blacks is the wrong thing to do. In
the movie queen isabel was very young and grew up having slaves and I think that might have something to do with her fighting to get "her slaves"
back for multiple years because she grew up thinking that slaves were things that people owned and that they were kind of like stolen property in her

Analysis Of The Movie ' Amistad '
"Amistad" was released in 1997 on the territory of the United States of America.The historical period, portrayed in the film, is the year of 1839. It
was the year when a terrible rebellion took place on board the Spanish ship La Amistad, which transported slaves. It was the time when the slavery
was abolished in the North and the South of the United States of America was discontented for they severely needed slaves to work for them.
American courts still decide whether the black person is free according to the place he comes from. The trial over the rebels from La Amistad asks
the main question: "Are these rebels slaves or free people?". The "free giving" North and the "enslaving" South were already opposing each other and
their relations were rather problematic. The incident became a scandal as it truly reflected the conflict of that time. According to the American laws
back then only Africans could be considered free people. The story takes place in the time–gap before the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 till 1865.
"Amistad" is a true story about the slaves that try to go back to their motherland – Sierra Leone. "La Amistad" is the name of a Spanish vessel with 53
African slaves on board the ship. Steven Spielberg directed the film and the main motivation of the author was showing that every single person, not
depending on the color of skin has the right to be free. In other words each person is born free and nobody can take this freedom away from him.
According to

amistad movie Essay
Some five hundred years ago, ships began transporting millions of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. This massive
population movement helped create the African Diaspora in the New World. Many did not survive the horrible ocean journey. Enslaved Africans
represented many different peoples, each with distinct cultures, religions, and languages. Most originated from the coast or the interior of West Africa,
between present–day Senegal and Angola. Other enslaved peoples originally came from Madagascar and Tanzania in East Africa
In February of 1839, Portuguese slave hunters abducted a large group of Africans from Sierra Leone and shipped them to Havana, Cuba, a center for
the slave trade. This abduction violated all...show more content...
the Amistad, March 9, 1841. The documents are incorporated into "American Originals: Part III," the major exhibition featuring milestone
documents.
The dramatic story of the Amistad, which was featured in a major motion picture that opened in December, is found among the court records at the
National Archives – Northeast Region at Waltham, MA, and in the Supreme Court records at the National Archives in Washington, DC. In 1839, 53
African natives were kidnapped .from an area now known as Sierra Leone and illegally sold into the Spanish slave trade. They were transported to
Havana, Cuba and sold at auction as native Cuban slaves to two "Spanish gentlemen." The Spaniards were transporting the Africans and
other cargo to another part of Cuba on board the Spanish schooner Amistad when the Africans staged a revolt, seizing control of the schooner, killing
the captain and the cook, and driving off the rest of the crew. The two "Spanish gentlemen" were ordered to sail back to Africa. By day,
the Spaniards sailed eastward and by night they surreptitiously sailed westward, hoping to land back in Cuba or the southern United States. The ship
was seized and towed to New London, Connecticut, where the imprisoned Africans began a lengthy legal battle to win back their

Analysis Of The Movie ' Amistad '
Amistad Historical Movie Review
Graham Jackson LSTD–1153–101
Amistad Historical Movie Review
Amistad is a film that provides a learning and historical experience about the horrific experiences of slaves in transport from Cuba. The movie
fictionally provides a portrayal of events in 1839 that surround the successful revolt by a group of captured Africans headed to the Americas for slavery
aboard a ship. The abducted Mende tribesmen stage a bloody revolt and take over control the ship (Osagie, 2003). This happens off the coast of Cuba.
However, the Africans are tricked by the crew members into believing that they are sailing back to Africa, all the while moving along the U.S Eastern
Seaboard. Two months into the journey, with little water and food, they get captured near Connecticut by a U.S Navy ship. Then an international legal
battle begins that is final resolved in 1841 by the United States Supreme Court.
The 154 minutes English movie was released on December 10, 1997, after a production budget cost of $36million by HBO Films. Its producers
include Debbie Allen, Colin Wilson, and Steven Spielberg. Janusz Kaminski handled the cinematography while the music is by John Williams.
The movie's screenplay by David Franzoni is based on Mutiny on the Amistad: The Saga of a Slave Revolt and Its Impact on American Abolition,
Law, and Diplomacy, a 1987 book by historian Howard Jones. Steven Spielberg directs the

Amistad Research Paper
The Amistad Conflict
In January 1839, fifty–three African natives were kidnapped from eastern Africa and sold into the Spanish slave trade. They were then placed
aboard a Spanish slave ship bound for Havana, Cuba. Once in Havana, the Africans were classified as native Cuban slaves and purchased at auction
by two Spaniards, Don Jose Ruiz and Don Pedro Montez. The two planned to move the slaves to another part of Cuba. The slaves were shackled and
loaded aboard the cargo ship Amistad (Spanish for "friendship") for the brief coastal voyage. However, three days into the journey, a 25–year–old
slave named Sengbe Pieh (or "Cinque" to his Spanish captors) broke out of his shackles and released the other Africans. The slaves then revolted,
...show more content...
President, Martin Van Buren, to return the slaves to Spain without trial. (http://amistad.mysticseaport.org/library/misc
/barber.1840.amis.capt.html#initial.investigation),1. The trials and arguments revealed much about contemporary attitudes towardslavery. The ultimate
decision made by the courts had many implications and created conflicts within the United States over slavery.
The conflict at hand was that the Africans said " that they are not natives of Africa, and were born free, and ever since have been and still of right are
and ought to be free and not slaves; that they were domiciled in the island of Cuba, or in the dominions of the Queen of Spain, or subject to the laws
thereof."(http://amistad.mysticseaport.org/library/court/supreme/1841.01.decision.2.htm) The United States argued that its treaty with Spain required
it to return ships and property seized by U.S. government vessels to their Spanish owners. The Supreme Court called the case "peculiar and
embarrassing." It ruled for the Africans, accepting the argument that they were never citizens of Spain, and were illegally taken from Africa, where
they were free men under the law. The Supreme Court accepted that the United States had obligations to Spain under the treaty, but said that that treaty
"never could have been intended to take away the equal rights of [the Africans]."(http://amistad.mysticseaport.org/library/court/supreme
/1841.01.decision.2.html) The

Amistad Movie Essay
The movie Amistad is about a group of African slaves who were illegally transported to the United States and the case that decided if they will return to
Africa.
It was directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story of the events in 1839 aboard the slave ships La Amistad and the Tecora, This events
happened in Connecticut, United States, Cuba and Africa.
This film started when the slaves guided by CinquГ© led a revolt in the slave ship La Amistad. The slaves forced two Spanish crewman to take them
to Africa, but they ended in the U.S. The ship was captured and the slaves were taken to jail, meanwhile the trail started. Queen Isabella 2 of Spain
and William S. Holabird were debating about who will keep the slaves, while Roger Baldwin and Theodore Joadson defended the case. First they
proved that they were Africans, not...show more content...
CinquГ© was born in 1814 in what is now Sierra Leone (His exact date of birth remains unknown). He was a rice Farmer with a wife and three
children, when he was captured illegally by African slave traders in 1839 and sold to Pedro Blanco, a Portuguese slave trader. He was imprisoned on
the Portuguese slave ship Tecora. CinquГ© was taken to Cuba, where he was sold with 110 more slaves to Spaniards JosГ© Ruiz and Pedro Montez.
After Roger Baldwin and John Quincy Adams won the case United States vs. La Amistad, CinquГ© and the others returned to their homes in Africa.
In the movie Amistad, CinquГ© was represented as an angry and intelligent man who only wanted to keep his fellow slaves safe and to return to
Africa with his family. CinquГ© tried to speak English, so people can understand him, and at one point of the movie he said "give us, us free" which
was very impresive and showed that they were not wild, they were people with rights and feeling, the only difference was the color of their

"Amistad" movie is directed by Steven Spielberg and Howard Jones' book "Mutiny on the Amistad: The Saga of a Slave Revolt and its Impact on
American Abolition, Law and Diplomacy" are historical accounts of the slave mutiny that occurred in the year 1839. The incident happened when the
slaves at sea, aboard on La Amistad. Spielberg's movie depicts the incident in visual word, whereas Jones' has written the book and depicted the entire
incident by using words. Both mediums capture the case that had been filed against the fifty three Africans were on aboard on the Spanish ship and
were responsible for steering its direction. The ship was later captured by American Navy.
The screenplay pursues the incidents related to the legislation of the Africans who were sold into slavery and were boarded on the Spanish ship. The
film critically reviews the historical events from diverse cultures, radical and international relations viewpoint. African Slave Trade was started by
the Europeans. The ship known as Amistad, is shown sailing from Cuba to United States and the year is 1839. The slaves are from African descent
and their leader is Cinque. The mutiny occurs under his leadership and therefore, takes control of it. Everyone on the ship are killed except for the
two navigators, who were kept alive in order to take the slaves back to Africa. However, the navigators misguide them and keep changing the direction.
Finally, the ship lands on east cost of United States and is later

Controversy Of The Amistad
Steven Spielberg's film the Amistad has been shown in American classrooms to teach a historical landmark case. Controversy has arisen because some
of the facts in the film are misleading. With that knowledge, should the Amistad film continue to be used as an educational tool? Both the movie and
the actual event take place in 1839 Fifty–three Mende's were captured and taken to Havana. (Amistad) In the movie the African's gain control of the
Amistad and kill many of the crew members, but in reality they only killed two crew members and left two alive. I think the director of the Amistad
did this because he wanted to add his own twist to the film. He made it so the movie would be more dramatic, exciting, and interesting. The Amistad
film should

Amistad
The title of the movie is called Amistad, which debuted December 25, 1997 and was directed by Steven Spielberg; the main actors are: Morgan
Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, and Matthew McConaughey; the main point of the film is to show how the Amistad Case played a
significant role in the start of the Civil War and the hardships of illegal slaves on their passage to be free. At the beginning of the movie, a slave
ship, named La Amistad, transporting illegal slaves from Cuba was conquered by the slaves. Cinque, an illegal slave, demands that the Spanish
owners take them back to Africa. At a stop to get water, the ship was discovered by Americans. The slaves were transported to America and thrown in
jail. They are trialed for murder....show more content...
I do not think the movie depicted America in the 1800's very well. I've seen plenty of movies and pictures where the 1800's looked more realistic
than in Amistad. There were special settings that captured my attention. When Cinque was telling the translator about how he was captured, the
setting in Africa was surprising. I was expecting something more along the lines of jungles and wild animals, but instead it looked like a scene
from Jamaica. Another scene that caught my attention were the courtroom settings. Having knowledge about the size of older buildings and
rooms within those buildings, I knew things were not as spacious as they are now. The movie did a great job of showing that. In the movie,
everyone looked compacted into one space and it looked over capacitated. The judge's stand did not look so superior like it does now. The plaintiff
and defendant stands looked like regular tables and desks. The movie did a great job at copying a slave ship. When the slaves were on the ship,
their clothing, hair, and props like shackles, weapons, and chains looked realistic. It had an excellent impact to the storyline of the slaves. The
clothing worn, by the English men, soldiers, and Queen Isabella, were accurately pictured how they dressed in the 1800's. The way they spoke also
gave it a more realistic feel. Having English, Mende, and Spanish spoken throughout the movie made it have a special meaning to the stories of the
slaves, slave

The Amistad Essay
The Amistad
The Amistad was a Spanish ship built in Baltimore for the purpose of transporting slaves. For three years, it sailed the high seas delivering its cargo to
various locations. But in August of 1838, a scandalous injustice was uncovered after the ship was seized by an American vessel, the USS Washington,
a coast guard ship under the command of Lt. Thomas R. Gedney. Lt. Gedney and his crew towed the Amistad into a New England harbor in
Connecticut where soon many controversies amounted and drama would unfold.
For 63 days, the Amistad had been drifting toward the American shoreline. As conditions deteriorated aboard the vessel, it's inhabitants at the time,
Africans, sick and dying, were in need of food and water. Desperate,...show more content...
Green and Lt. Gedney, were claiming salvage rights to the ship. The value of thecargo was estimated at $40,000, not including the Africans, who were
an additional $20,000 – $30,000 on the Havana market. United States District Attorney for Connecticut, William Hollabird was called in.
Slave trade had been outlawed in the United States colonies for almost 30 years and in Spain for 19. Feeling something was wrong with the stories
surrounding this vessel, Mr. Hollabird ordered a judicial hearing. The call for the hearing was not out of concern for the Africans, but, Mr. Hollabird,
as a representative of the law, had to follow legal procedures of an investigation. The matter of murder, piracy, salvage rights and more sent this case to
trial, and the Africans were placed in detainment under the custody of the US Marshall. The case appeared before Judge Andrew Judson.
Abolitionists were very active during this time in history. After they became aware of this case, they decided to become involved on behalf of the
Africans. They were to use this case as a means of publicizing the evils of the African slave trade and slavery itself.
Lewis Tappan, a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, wanted to change the world. As an admitted Christian evangelistic abolitionist, he firmly believed
slavery was a moral wrong and openly opposed it. He called for many of the leading

Analysis Of The Book ' Amistad '
Amistad Paper
Anna– Intro and Closing
Dejaв†’ 1–5
Ryanв†’ 6–10
Valerieв†’ 11
–16
Wyntonв†’ 19–23 The earliest record of slavery was in the Code of Hammurabi, which originated in Babylon during 18th century BC. Slavery thrived
centuries later in the Mediterranean in the 13th century, and the Portuguese slave trade began in the 15th century, supplying slaves to Europe. While
slavery existed in the past all over the world, the systematic kidnap and illegal trade of humans thrived in the 18th century with the beginning of the
triangular trade. Throughout the records of the North Atlantic slave trade, it is recorded that 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and sold into slavery.
The movie Amistad tracks one slave ship, out of the millions. The revolt, court case, and subsequent release of the slaves aboard the ship The
Amistad shows the pain and suffering that came out of the slave trade. As the movie Amistad begins, we notice how slaves are eager to escape,
especially Cinque. His cleverness of harming himself to the extent of blood seeping from his hands just to free himself physically and emotionally,
helps draw one's attention on the movie and on slavery as well. When everyone was freed, it was as if the roles were switched. The slaves are now
leaders while the two white sailors are held hostage. As a group we noticed how the conversations were not translated, so it is up to the viewers to
depict and realize what is happening in the scene. Cinque and his friends did not rejoice

What Is Amistad?
The movie the 'Amistad'' and its long–overlooked story of a slave–ship mutiny and trial, the film presents the experience of captivity from one African
character. He is the leader of this rebellion, the fierce figure who became known as Cinque. The film is a glimpse of Cinque's wife and child in
their peaceful village, and sees him gaze warmly at their backs as they walk away from him forever. Then, with no warning, Cinque is ambushed and
captured, destined to be sent halfway around the world. Viewers wishing to avoid waterworks can only be grateful that Mr. Spielberg denies the wife
and child a backward glance. The worthiness of ''Amistad'' is irrefutable, as are its credentials despite the current legal uproar over source material. After
Mr. Spielberg illustrates this handily with a passing vessel carrying genteel partygoers and musicians, to the Africans' astonishment. When the Amistad
approaches what is supposed to be African coastline, a man riding a bicycle comes into view. Jailed in New England and put on trial, the Africans
remain a mostly undifferentiated group except for Cinque. A language barrier also separates them from much of the film's main action, although the
Steven Spielberg o knows winsome ways of showing what it means to be a stranger. The Africans are baffled by the hymn singing of grim
abolitionists, whom they mistake for bad entertainers. They are also horrified by Matthew McConaughey, as a lawyer whom they call Dung Scraper,
and the audience may not react much more kindly. Amiable matinee idol that he is, Mr. McConaughey should cease and desist from affecting
mannerisms from previous centuries or playing any more smart lawyers. At least one point of contention, the helpful rapport that develops between
Cinque and Adams, seems entirely organic to the movie. It doesn't take Barbara Chase–Riboud, the historical novelist who has accused the filmmakers
of plagiarism, to see the storytelling value of letting these two opposites

La Amistad Essay
The Mende
"We hold these truths to be self–evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable Rights;
that among these, are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence). Our founding fathers found that it was obvious
every human being was gifted by their God undeniable rights that are life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. In the movie La Amistad directed by
Steven Spielberg, he portrays a slave ship traveling to Cuba that gets hijacked by the Mende slaves, the slaves find land in the United States where they
are imprisoned as runaway slaves. The slaves are completely lost and cannot speak English, so they are appointed a lawyer that fights for their
freedom. The 6th President of the United States, John Quincy Adams makes aware of the life and dignity of the imprisoned slaves, while Joseph
Cinque one of the imprisoned slaves becomes a spokesman for the slaves demanding their call to family, community and participation.
John Adams stands up to protect the life and dignity of the imprisoned Mende slaves. As the slaves are being trialed in the court room, Adams stands
and says, "This man is black. We can all see that. But can we also see as easily that which is equally true:...show more content...
During the last trial, as tension rises in the court room Cinque stands and says in agony, "Give us, us free. Give us, us free. Give us, us free. Give
us, us free. Give us, us free." (Cinque). Give us freedom. Give us liberty! Cinque is first of the slaves to stand up and say something. Cinque devoted
his time to attempt to learn about the trial to give his fellow humans in pain a call to family, to community and to participation. Instead of a world of
mistreatment and being treated as an object not as a human. Cinque gives the slaves an advantage in the trial by standing up and speaking for them as a

Amistad Trial Research Paper
In 1839, on board the ship Amistad, 53 illegally kidnapped Africans refused to accept the fate of slaves. Instead they rose up, killed the captain and
forced the crew to sail away. However while they believed they were back to Africa, the crew directed the ship north and the ship wound up on Long
Island. The African would be slaves were put on trial for the murder of their captors aboard the ship in New Haven, Connecticut. Their case went all
the way to the Supreme Court, where former president John Quincy Adams defended the Africans and secured their freedom. The caseUnited States v.
Schooner Amistad, also known simply as the Amistad Trial, had a humongous impact on the Abolitionist movement, unifying, publicizing, and
legitimizing, the movement's fight against slavery.
Before the Amistad Trial the abolitionist movement was considered an unpopular, obnoxious, trouble–making, and fragmented group. The majority of
the United States population did not support their struggle and their fight was hindered by the movement's disunity and dysfunctionality. However, the
Amistad Trial unified the Abolitionist movement by giving it one cause to rally around. This cause also provided a way to unify the radical and
traditions abolitionists, because it did not require taking slaves away from Americans. As a whole when the Abolitionist movement came together and
Hundreds of newspapers from around the country reported on the court proceedings. Many Americans opened their eyes to the injustices of slavery by
reading the stories presented in the news. By publicizing the issue of slavery the Amistad Trial brought many northerners, people who rarely came into
contact with slaves, directly into the midst of the issue. The Abolitionist movement was able to generate huge publicity over the trial and therefore
gained large numbers of followers from around the

Amistad Essay
The touchiest subject that a person could bring up in the early 19th century was slavery. Many in the north were wholly against it while many in the
south could not live properly without it. The Amistad case intensifies the already bitter feelings between these two parts of the country, and it shows
how sectionalist our country had become. On one hand there were the northerners who couldn't believe that these people were being held for freeing
themselves, and on the other hand there were the southerners who said that the Negro's were animals and should be sent back to Cuba to be hung.
There were not only two different attitudes on what should happen to the Africans, but each group also had different opinions on how to handle the
story....show more content...
"The New York Express which sided with Ruiz and Montes, wrote, "Cinque is a Congo. Their general character is lazy, mischievous, and apt to run
away..."" (39) You wouldn't expect someone In the north to support two Spanish slave traders, but the thought of losing the Union hurt theabolitionists
cause. Also, after the verdict, some people in Farmington, Vermont, started to get sick of the Africans. One of them was pushed into a ditch after
buying an oil lamp by some of the citizens of Farmington, and many people blamed what had happened on the Africans. After that even Tappan felt that
they had to be sent home soon. They were a sideshow to many curious people, but a burden to many.
The south wouldn't be able to function right if the government had abolished slavery, and they didn't even want their citizens to read anything that the
abolitionists sent to them. "In 1835 bags full of undelivered antislavery literature were burned at Charleston"... the Postmaster General then said "We
owe an obligation to the laws, but a higher one to the community." (20) President Jackson, who did nothing to help slaves or free blacks in his terms
as President, asked congress to propose a law to not even allow these "incendiary publications" from entering Southern states. The south was not only
scared of their slaves rebelling, they were also afraid of what my come of the outcome of the

Historical Accuracy Of The Amistad
The title of the movie is called Amistad, which debuted December 25, 1997 and was directed by Steven Spielberg; the main actors are: Morgan
Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, and Matthew McConaughey; the main purpose of the film is to show how the Amistad Case played a
significant role in the start of the Civil War and the hardships of illegal slaves on their passage to be free.
At the beginning of the movie, a slave ship, named La Amistad, transporting illegal slaves from Cuba was conquered by the slaves. Cinque, an illegal
slave, demands that the Spanish owners take them back to Africa. At a stop to get water, the ship was discovered by Americans. The slaves were
transported to America and thrown in jail. They are trialed for murder....show more content...
I do not think the movie depicted America in the 1800's well. I have seen an abundance of movies and pictures where the 1800's looked more
realistic than in Amistad. There were special settings that captured my attention. When Cinque was telling the translator about how he was
captured, the setting in Africa was unanticipated. I was looking forward to the scene being more along the lines of jungles and wild animals, but
instead it looked like a scene from Jamaica. Another scene that caught my attention were the courtroom settings. Having knowledge about the size
of older buildings and rooms within those buildings, I knew things were not as spacious as they are now. The movie did a fabulous job of showing
that. In the movie, everyone looked compacted into one space and it looked over capacitated. The judge's stand did not look so superior like it
does now. The plaintiff and defendant stands looked like regular tables and desks. The movie did a great job replicating a slave ship. When the
slaves were on the ship, their clothing, hair, and props like shackles, weapons, and chains looked realistic. It had an excellent impact to the storyline
of the slaves. The clothing worn by the English men, soldiers, and Queen Isabella, were accurate regarding how they dressed in the 1800's. The way
they spoke also gave it a more realistic feel. Having English, Mende, and Spanish spoken throughout the movie made it have a special

Amistad Summary
Amistad Movie Summary
The film begins in the depths of the schooner La Amistad, a slave–ship carrying captured West Africans into slavery. The film's protagonist, Sengbe
Pieh, most known by his Spanish name, "CinquГ©," painstakingly picks a nail out of the ship's structure and uses it to pick the lock on his shackles.
Freeing a number of his companions, CinquГ© initiates a rebellion on board the storm–tossed vessel. In the ensuing fighting, several Africans and most
of the ship's Spanish crew are killed, but CinquГ© saves two of the ship's officers, Ruiz and Montez, whom he believes can sail them back to Africa.
After six weeks have passed, the ship is running out of food and fresh water, and CinquГ© is growing angry with Yamba who believes...show more
content...
CinquГ©, a peasant farmer and young husband and father in West Africa, was kidnapped by African slave
–hunters and taken to the slave fortress of
Lomboko, an illegal facility in the British Protectorate of Sierra Leone. There, he and hundreds of other captured Africans were loaded onto
transatlantic slave–ship (Tecora). CinquГ© tells of the various horrors of the Middle Passage, including frequent rape, horrific torture, and random
executions carried out by the crew, including the deaths of fifty people deliberately drowned in order to save food. Upon their arrival in Cuba,
CinquГ© was sold at a slave market and purchased, along with many other Tecora survivors, by the owners of LaAmistad. Once aboard La Amistad,
CinquГ© was able to free himself of his shackles, and began the slaves' rebellion for freedom.
The courtroom drama continues as District Attorney William S. Holabird (Pete Postlethwaite) and Secretary of State John Forsyth (David Paymer)
press their case for property rights and dismiss CinquГ©'s story as a mere piece of fiction. While exploring the impounded vessel La Amistad for
much–needed evidence to support the Africans' claims, Baldwin happens upon a notebook, stuffed into a crevice by Ruiz and Montez to conceal the
evidence of illegal slave–trading. Using the book as hard evidence of illegal trading, Baldwin calls expert witnesses including Captain Fitzgerald (Peter
Firth), a British naval commander assigned to patrol the West

The Case Of The Amistad

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The Case Of The Amistad