MHS Film Club: Amistad (1997)

-- Zoom Meeting recorded 10 February 2022 --

Moderated by Sara Martin, current Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers, with Jim Taylor, former Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers, and Patrick Rael, Bowdoin College

Join the current and former Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers and Professor Patrick Rael to discuss the 1997 film Amistad. The film explores the history of the slave ship Amistad, which set sail from Cuba to America in 1839. During the trip the enslaved people on board held an uprising. They were then held in Connecticut, and their fate became subject of heated debate, eventually leading to the US Supreme Court where John Quincy Adams helped to argue for their freedom.

WHERE TO STREAM AMISTAD:

As of February 2022, Amistad is streaming on HBO Max, or can be rented on several streaming services including Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, YouTube and Vudu

LINKS TO AMISTAD DOCUMENTS AT MHS:

Two of the Amistad captives wrote to JQA,
- Letter from Kinna to John Quincy Adams, 4 January 1841: https://www.masshist.org/database/158
- Letter from Kale to John Quincy Adams, 4 January 1841:
https://www.masshist.org/database/16

An entry from John Quincy Adams, Diary, 29 March 1841, where he reflects on his involvement in the case:
https://www.masshist.org/database/1893