Amistad
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1) Amistad is a movie about a slave revolt that took place aboard the ship La Amistad, and the legal actions that took place afterwards. In the opening scene of the movie, Joseph Cinque (an African slave) is leading a slave revolt that gives the slaves control of the ship and kills most of the ships crew. When the slaves take over, they force the ships captain to sail them back to Africa but he tricks them and takes them to the United States where the slaves are captured and put in jail. The group of slaves are charged with revolting and murder and there is also property claims over the slaves. Queen Isabella of Spain, the captain of La Amistad, and the people who captured the slaves once in the United States are all claiming to own the slaves. Roger Baldwin is the lawyer that is brought in to defend the slaves by abolitionists. In order to talk to the slaves, Baldwin has to find a translator that speaks both english and mende, the language that the African slaves speak. Cinque, the slave that has sort of become the leader of the slaves, tells Baldwin- in a series of flashbacks- that he was captured from Africa and taken aboard the ship the Tecora to Cuba where he was illegally sold to the owners of La Amistad. In the next days, Baldwin is allowed to go aboard La Amistad to search for evidence to use in court and he finds a book that proves his claim that the slaves came from Africa and where illegally traded by Senor Ruiz and Montez-the owners of La Amistad. Senor Ruiz and Montez are claiming that the slaves were not illegally traded, but Baldwin is trying to prove that the slaves were not originally from Havana, Cuba, but were from Africa.The birthplace of the slaves was important because at the time U.S. law outlawed anyone who was not born a slave from being enslaved; this meant that the slaves on La Amistad were being illegally traded and were officially captured citizens of Africa. The judge was now beginning to appear like he was going to rule in favor of Baldwin so Van Buren(the President at that time) replaces the judge with a younger one that he thinks he can pressure into favoring his side. However, against Van Burens plan, the new judge rules in the favor of Baldwin and the slaves. He orders that the slaves were born in Africa which excuses their murder of the ships crew, and he orders that they be freed back to Africa, and that Senor Ruiz and Montez be arrested for their illegal actions. Now that they have won the case on a lower level, the prosecution plans to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. On the Supreme Court, seven of the nine justices are Southern slave owners which leaves little hope for Baldwin in the freeing of the slaves. Baldwin looks to previous president, John Quincy Adams for help in the trial. When Cinque and the other slaves learn they are not freed quite yet, they get angry at Baldwin. After some time and talking Cinque forgives Baldwin and begins talking to him again. After Adams and Baldwin get done talking with Cinque, they are now ready to present their case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court rules in favor of the Amistad Africans. The final scenes of the movie show The Liberation of Lomboko Slave Fortress, the viewer learns that William Henry Harrison defeated Van Buren and became the ninth president of the United States. The very last scene of the movie shows Cinque aboard a ship headed back to Africa and the viewer is informed that when he returns to Siera Leone, he finds his own people in civil war and all of his family is gone- it is believed that his family was also sold into slavery- also it tells the viewer that the slave fortress that Cinque went through was destroyed by the Royal Navy.
2 & 3) The central message of Amistad revolves around racism and prejudices. The movie teaches that people are not granted freedom, but are born with freedom. In the movie, when the slaves are brought to court people like Queen Isabella and Senor Ruiz and Montez want to make claims on the slaves as if they were property. Clearly, the slaves were not property, they were human beings just like Queen Isabella, Senor Ruiz and Montez. The movie effectively communicates the message that racism has a huge impact on blacks, and slaves and that slaves are people with feelings and not property. There were many scenes were freedom and races were discussed in the movie. One quote that was said about racism was in the Supreme Court trial scenes. John Quincy Adams(played by Anthony Hopkins) said “He is a black man, you can see that, but if he were white, we would not be here today.” In this quote, Adams acknowledges and tells the court that this is strictly a race based situation and it should not be because the only reason the trial is taking place is because of the slaves skin color. One quote that has a major impact on the freedom lesson is heard in the Supreme Court trial scenes also.This quote is also said by Adams, “The natural state of mankind is instead- and I know this is a controversial idea- is freedom. Is freedom. And the proof is the length to which a man, woman, or child will go to regain it once taken. He will break loose his chains. He will decimate his enemies. He will try and try and try, against all odds, against all prejudices, to get home.” This quote is a huge part of the movie because what the viewer finds out is that these slaves really were free blacks and their freedom was taken from them involuntarily. And now, Cinque has broken free of his chains he was in on La Amistad, revolted against the ships crew, and fights against traditional prejudices against blacks all in order to regain his and the other captivated African-Americans freedoms back.
4) Amistad is an appeal to both emotion and reason. Seeing the treatment that the slaves received aboard La Amistad really makes the viewer feel