Summary Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839.

It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been sold into slavery in Cuba, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. As the ship is crossing from Cuba to the U.S., Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship. They continue to sail, hoping to find help when they land. Instead, when they reach the United States, they are imprisoned as runaway slaves. They don't speak a word of English, and it seems like they are doomed to die for killing their captors when an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. The case finally gets to the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release. Written by M Parkinson, Sarasota, FL, USA Based on the true story of America's slave trade, the film shows the saga of an 1839 mutiny aboard the slave ship, Amistad. Much of the story revolves a courtroom drama as lawyers for the slaves seek their freedom and return home. The case is a watershed moment for America-Spain relations, and reveals the political machinations as it holds repercussions on the North-South conflict eventually leading to America's Civil War.Written by F.Maggi, Rome Italy
Reflection The Amistad movie is about a group of West Africans captured as slaves to America. Led by Sengbe Pieh, who was renamed as Joseph Cinque by the Spaniards who bought his later decided to revolt against his captors. The movie started at the scene where cinque was trying to free himself from his chains. Him and his fellow slaves managed to get control of the ship by killing many of the cruise men living two of then alive to guide then back to Africa. They fought hard to stay alive, but unfortunately they found themselves in the strange waters of in America and charged with murder. Their fate lied in the hands of a real estate and property lawyer Roger Baldwin, who had to prove that these men are from Africa and were illegally stolen in to slavery. This would gain their freedom because African slavery was illegal. With the help of former president John Quincy Adams Cinque and his fellow Africans were set free. Unfortunately these men will be going home to civil war zone. I was captured by the intense emotion from the beginning of the movie to the end of it. The movie depicts the inhumane acts of humans. The pain and suffering that these people went through is none like other. Yet they yearn for their home and they fought to get back to it. The ending of the film was discouraging . Cinque and the rest of the freed slaves were going back to a country at war. Cinques family was probably captured in to slavery and the hope of seeing his family will be an undisturbed reality for him. The one memorable thing about the movie that reminded me of Sierra Leone, was when I heard the native language temne and mende. I can barely speak it now but just hearing it brings back memories of when my grandmother was teaching how to speak in mende. My grandmother also told me stories of the Sierra Leone hero, Sengbe Pieh (Cinque) who left his homeland as a slave but returned as a free man. Watching the movie was as like bringing the stories my grandmother told me to life. - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - The Amistad Saga is one of many projects the AACC has developed to present and preserve the history of African Americans. The Director - James A. House aka House, is a native of Mississipp