AMISTAD

Amistad is a recreation of the true story about a 1839 slave revolt on a small
Spanish schooner, La Amistad, ironically the Spanish word for "friendship."
Spielberg does a great job in recreating the Amistad revolt that spurred a series
of trials beginning in the lower courts of Connecticut and ultimately ending in
the Supreme Court. Events following the revolt raise controversial questions
about slavery and freedom. This case not only marks a milestone for
Abolitionists in their fight against slavery but it also questioned the natural laws
of our Constitution.
Leading up to the trial of the Africans, Spielberg illustrates the horrors the slaves
endured as they were captured and taken from their homes. It is very distressing
to see the cruelty that was imposed on the slaves as they were captured. The
slaves were shackled and chained, then packed in an unsanitary, overcrowded
slave ship, and exposed to inhuman treatment, on the Portuguese slaver Tecora
as it makes its way through the Middle Passage towards Cuba. Although a third
of the slaves died aboard the Tecora before it reached it's destination, those that
survived the trip were eventually auctioned into slavery in Havanna, Cuba..
The revolt on the slave ship Amistad resulted in the deaths of the captain and
cook of the ship. The Africans did spared the lives of two Spaniards who were
needed to help navigate the ship back to Africa. The Africans had control of the
Amistad for only a short time before it was seized by the U.S. Army, capturing
the Africans and forcing them to face a trial, on charges of murder and mutiny.
This trial marked the beginning of a court case that dramatically challenged our
judicial system. The Abolitionists play a big part in the outcome of this trial.
Abolitionists to enhance strong public emotion against slavery, begin publicizing
the horror stories and brutalities of slavery. They felt sorry for the slaves and
with the help of Edward Tappin, an abolitionist leader, they secured the services
of an attorney Roger S. Baldwin of Connecticut to defend the Africans. What
amazed me, is that even with odds against the Africans, as the judge in the trial,
Andrew T. Judson was an opponent of slavery and he was also under pressure by
President Van Buren to send the Africans back to Cuba, justice prevailed for the
Africans. At least for a short time when Judson ruled that the Africans had been
kidnapped and ordered their return to Africa. The Abolitionists and Africans felt
that justice had been served, until President Van Buren requested an appeal to
the Supreme Court, in which five of the justices had been slave owners.
The Abolitionists and Roger S. Baldwin the African's attorney felt the only way
they could win this trial is by seeking help from an influential person of status.
They appealed to former President, John Quincy Adams for help. Adams
accepted the case and in the Supreme Court trial, Adams delivered an emotional
argument challenging the Court to grant the Africans liberty on the basis of the
natural rights as outlined in the Declaration of Independence. Anthony Hopkins
shines in his role as John Quincy Adams, with his argument to the Supreme
Court. He expresses so much emotion, while pointing to a copy of the
Declaration of Independence on the wall in the courtroom he states "I know of
no other law that reaches the case of my clients, but the law of Nature and
Nature's God on which our fathers placed our own national existence. The
Africans, he proclaimed were victims of a conspiracy that denied their rights as
human beings. The Supreme Court rules the slaves free, stating that the slaves
had been "kidnapped" and they had an inherent right of self-defense. This
verdict marked a major milestone for the white abolitionists. They had brought
national attention to a great social injustice. For the first time in history, Africans
seized by slave dealers had won their freedom in American courts. The
importance of the Amistad case lies in the fact that Cinque and his fellow
captives, with the help of the white abolitionists, had won their freedom. It
pointed out the need to change American laws which contradicted the natural
laws expressed in our Constitution. The Amistad incident exposed the need to
bring the Constitution and American laws in compliance with the moral
principles underlying the Declaration of Independence. This incident also helped
abolitionists in their fight against slavery, with which they finally won with the
addition of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865.
Djimon Hounsou, a 33-year old native of Benin played the role of Cinque a
native Mendi African from Sierra Leone. He does an outstanding job in the
portrayal Cinque. The most impressive scene being when Cinque, stands up in
the courtroom scene where he stands up and says, "Make Us Free", "Make Us
Free". I felt this was the most emotional part of the entire movie.
While Stephen Spielberg did use humor to help subdue the emotional content of
the movie the historical content remained relatively true to fact with a few
exceptions. There were a few historical facts that were omitted from the move.
In the movie, John Quincy Adams was moved to represent the Africans by a talk
he had with Cinque in John Quincy Adam's greenhouse. The true facts are that
John Quincy Adams was moved to support the Africans in the Supreme Court by
a letter that was written by Kali, one of the African children. In this emotional
letter she makes the statement, "All We Want Is Make Us Free". Speilberg keeps
the movie from becoming too depressing by adding a lot of light hearted humor.
The outcome helps to leave you feeling that against all odds, justice prevailed. I
give Amistad **** and would recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy a
heart felt story out of American History.