The Women King and The Real Magic of Movies
A 1965 history book by historian Samuel Eliot Morison discussed the Supreme Court case concerning a revolt aboard the Amistad, a Spanish slave ship, led by an African named Cinqué.
After the Africans killed most of the Amistad’s crew, it was captured by a United States warship. The African’s were charged with mutiny and murder, but the local court didn’t convict the Africans on the grounds that the slave trade was illegal under American and Spanish law.
The Spanish owners of the Amistad appealed the case to the Supreme Court. Former U.S. President John Quincy Adams argued against the appeal, and the Supreme Court ruled that the Africans were freed and could return to Africa.
However, Morison concluded, “The ironic epilogue is that Cinqué, once home, set himself up as a slave trader.”
Let’s fast-forward to 1997 when Amistad — the movie — was made.
The film was harshly criticized for historical inaccuracies. Black critics called it a “white savior” movie because the hero of the film was John Quincy Adams and not Cinqué. Other black critics complained that the movie omitted how the white missionaries worked zealously to rid the Africans of their names, language, customs, and religious beliefs.