The Critique Of The Movie Amistad

Everyone has their own understanding of what slavery is, but there are misconceptions about the history of “slavery”. Not many people understand how the slave trade initially began. Originally Africa had “slaves” but they were servants or serfs, sometimes these people could be part of the master’s family. They could own land, rise to positions of power, and even purchase their freedom. This changed when white captains came to Africa and offered weapons, rum, and manufactured goods for people. African kings and merchants gave away the criminals, debtors, and prisoner from rival tribes. The demand for cheap labor was increasing, this resulted in the forced migration of over ten million slaves. The Atlantic Slave Trade occurred from 1500 to 1880 CE. This large-scale event changed the economy and histories of many places. The Atlantic Slave Trade held a great amount of significance in the development of America. Africans shaped America by building a solid foundation for the country.

First african slave ship came in Virginia , the slaves were brought here to work in fields or lucrative crops like tobacco , cotton , and etc. The first ship with the slaves was a dutch ship who popped up on the shore of Jamestown , Virginia. It were only 20 African slaves on the ship and this was the 17th century. In the 18th century about 7 million slaves spreaded throughout America mostly in the south.

The Atlantic slave trade which was inevitably began by the Portuguese, but later in time taken over by the English, was the sale and exploitation of African slaves by Europeans that occurred in and throughout the Atlantic Ocean from the 15th century to the 19th century. Most slaves were transported from West Africa and Central Africa to the New World. Although slavery and slave trading already existed it became well known and practiced in all cultures. During this time while Europeans obtained most slaves through coastal trade with African states, some slaves

What an eye-opening film by Steven Spielberg! The movie, La Amistad, was based on historical events. Blacks from West Africa were captured and sold into slavery. They were put on a boat called the Tecora and later transferred to the clipper called La Amistad. Spielberg did a beautiful job in accurately recreating the events that lead to the historical court hearings of the imprisoned blacks. The hearings began at the state level. Then it was taken to the Supreme Court. Questions about slavery, equality, and freedom, sprung forth during the Amistad case. Not only was this case a milestone for the abolitionist movement, it also questioned the writings of the Declaration of Independence. Where all men created equal, like the constitution

For almost 400 years slaves were taken from Africa and displaced throughout the world. The first Africans slaves arrived in Virginia in the early 1600’s and millions more would follow throughout the coming centuries. Shortly after colonist

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,

In 1581, the first imported African slaves landed in the Americas. The Spanish brought people from Africa to work for them in Florida. In 1619, the first slaves were brought into the original 13 colonies. They were brought to America as indentured servants and released after they had paid for their

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

The slave trade into the United States began in 1620 with the sale of nineteen Africans to a colony called “Virginia”. These slaves were brought to America on a Dutch ship and were sold as indentured slaves. An Indentured slave is a person who has an agreement to serve for a specific amount of time and will no longer be a servant once that time has passed, they would

Slavery is a period of time where people were bought, sold, and treated as property for many years. Slaves were given no rights once so ever from the time they were captured, purchased, or born. Slavery existed in many countries such as contemporary Africa, Mali, Haiti, Niger, Sudan, and Mauritania. Although slavery was equally devastating in many different countries one form of slavery that stands out the most for American history is slavery in the New World. Slaves were shipped from various locations in Africa and also different islands of the West Indies. Contrary to belief, there was a method in Africa specifically Goree Island, where wealthy Africans would sell out other Africans from their country into slavery. These “merchants”

The first slaves were brought to the Virginia Colony in the early 1600s. they were simply indentured servant whom would be released after working an agreed number of years. They came to America on a voluntary basis. Soon after, that model of slavery was replaces with the race-based slavery used in the Caribbean. Slavery was officially legalized in 1641 and gradually progressed to the brutal form that we know today. The undermining and oppression of those African people were sealed in 1712 when

In sharp contrast to what most people think, “only about 6 percent of the slaves imported in Africa ended up in what is now the United States.” Most of those taken from Africa ended up, if they survived the long sea voyage, in the West

“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.

The central message of this film is that Mexicans are taken for granted in the United States. The film touches on many major racial issues. At a comedic point in the film, it makes light of the confusion of Hispanics versus Mexicans and assumption that everyone is a Mexican. It highlights the very real poor treatment that some Mexicans face.

Amistad demonstrates the thirst of people to sell slaves for profit and how they would capture Africans from their homes with no warning. The film illustrates the cruelty of slave ports, such as the Lombok slave fortress used in the film, which showed the slaves tightly chained by the neck with one another. The film also depicts the horrors and conditions slaves endured during the Middle passage to the new world and the slave mutiny and the bloodshed that took place, such as Cinque stabbing and slicing the throats of the ship’s crew. The film also does a great job of showing historical events in chronological order, seen in the Amistad trial, first trial judge rules and frees the slaves, and then ruling is overruled by the president, lastly showing scenes of John Quincy Adams pleading for the freedom of the slave to the Supreme Court judges. In addition, the film historically captures the 1840’s religion, such as white missionaries trying to get the Amistad slaves to convert to Christianity, language, clothing, and society, for example the differences of classes and race, blacks during this time were still not equal. In conclusion, the film captures the essence and key ideas of the Amistad case and ideas on slavery, the film allows students to retain information easily, especially those impactful powerful scenes in the movie, such as the middle passage scene, which permanently remains and lingers in one’s mind and engages students more than just reading a chapter in the