The Amistad

I really enjoyed watching La Amistad in class these past couple of days. Sometimes it’s much easier for me to understand and remember history if I see it visually. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the story and message of the Amistad now.
I think it’s so crazy how slaves were just treated like sub-humans. It bugged me so much after they worked so hard to win the first court case, and then the men repealed the decision so it would have to be tried again at the Supreme Court. All of the jury and the people knew that the slaves were not guilty, but they did nothing to try and stop this from happening.
Although there were many depressing parts in the movie, I loved all of the good people that it showcased. When I think of slavery and this time period, I don’t usually think about people who actively fought against slavery or disagreed with it. But in reality, there were a great number of people who didn’t agree with slavery. I really admired that lawyer Michael Baldwin who lost all of his clients and his livelihood just for standing up and defending the slaves because he knew it was right. I also loved the judge that the president handpicked. They picked him because they thought that he would immediately side against the slaves, but after hearing all the evidence, he knew that they were innocent and stood up for them even though he knew it would probably cost him his job. It was really great to hear the stories of these people who gave up a lot in order to do what was right and just.
I think The Amistad is a movie every American should see. It really portrays the unjust nature of slavery, but it also inspires me to see that there were people who stood up for what was right in the face of overwhelming pressure and influences.