Summary of Amistad Movie

This motion picture begins with Joseph Cinqué (whose real name was Sengbe Pieh), an African on the schooner La Amistad, leading a revolt that frees the other Africans and eliminates many of the team. They force the ship’s captain to steer back to Africa, but the captain techniques them and heads to the United States where the Africans are captured and jailed.

Word goes out right away to U.S. President Martin Van Buren, Queen Isabella II of Spain, and a group of abolitionists.

The group of Africans are charged with mutiny and murder. There are likewise property claims by the Queen Isabella II of Spain, the captain of the ship, the people who captured the Africans, and others. A young attorney, Baldwin, is brought on the case by the abolitionists.

Baldwin finds a translator (Chiwetel Ejiofor in his first film role) and speak to Cinqué, who has ended up being the leader of the group of Africans. In flashbacks, Cinqué tells about his life.

The offenders’ birthplace referred vital value because U.S. law at the time banned anyone who wasn’t the kid of a servant from being enslaved (based on the arrangement in the United States Constitution that allowed Congress to outlaw the African servant trade starting in the year 1809). This suggested that those held aboard La Amistad were being traded unlawfully, and were formally abducted people of West Africa. As such, they were legally allowed to use fatal force to secure their release (thus making the killings upon the ship sensible homicide rather than murder). Therefore whether or not the offenders were born in Africa was crucial to figuring out whether their conduct was certainly justificable murder or murder.

Upon seeing the log book from the ship, the presiding judge appears prepared to rule for Baldwin. But President Van Buren, under pressure from the South, replaces the judge with a younger judge who Van Buren can influence. It is thought that this will result in a ruling against the defendants. However, the new judge surprises the Administration by ruling in favor of the defendants. The judge concludes that they were born in Africa, and thus were permitted to use deadly force to resist those that would enslave them. He orders their return to Africa at Government expense, and further orders the arrest of the would-be slavetraders.

The prosecution then appeals the case to the Supreme Court, where seven of the nine justices are slave owners. Baldwin finally convinces former president John Quincy Adams to help him on the case. After some communication with Cinqué, Baldwin and Adams are ready to present the case (Baldwin making the case to the Supreme Court isn’t shown). John Quincy Adams then gives a speech on slavery and the case in general. The Supreme Court then (March 9, 1841) rules in favor of the Amistad Africans, in an opinion by Justice Joseph Story. Story was played in the movie by an actual retired Supreme Court justice, Harry Blackmun.

The end of the movie notes that Cinqué returned to Africa, the slave fortress he went through was destroyed by the Royal Navy, and the American Civil War was fought over many issues, slavery among them.