Amistad

AMISTAD (1997)

The world’s history is one of peace and violence. Over the years human kind has learnt to deal with its past, using it for the betterment of the future. One particular trait of history, which depicts a valuable lesson learned, is slavery and racism. Over the course of a century, human kind has slowly accepted differences not only in skin color, but of ideas, values, cultures and beliefs.

Amistad is the story of a slave ship (named Amistad) 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

The movie demonstrates how when one puts their minds beyond the norm, beyond the stereotypes of