The Voyage of La Amistad: A Quest for Freedom

Although Stephen Spielberg's dramatic film Amistad received mixed reviews, this documentary does a stellar job portraying the factual events surrounding the slave revolt aboard La Amistad and its impact on American history. Opening with a brief history of slavery, the documentary points out--with honesty--that Africans willingly participated in the illegal slave trade, selling enemies, captives, debtors, and even relatives to whites for profit. In fact, the Mende people aboard La Amistad had been sold into slavery by angry relatives or enemies back in Sierra Leone and smuggled to Cuba in violation of international law. While the abductees were being transferred by sea from one part of the island to another aboard the clipper La Amistad ("Friendship") the Africans rose up and killed the ship's captain and crew and sailed north. Apprehended off the coast of Connecticut in 1839, the Africans' case presented a number of complex legal and ethical issues in race-divided America. The Voyage of La Amistad emphasizes the human element of the story, drawing on archival material from the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans to portray the Mende men and women as individuals caught up in a terrible tragedy. One of the outcomes of the high-profile Amistad case would be a gathering momentum for the burgeoning abolition movement. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Reagan)