Respond to the following using examples from the film. Your answers will be graded based on the thoroughness of your responses and your ability to think creatively and analytically about what you watched.
1. What does "Amistad" mean? (Hint: it is a Spanish word.) Why is Amistad a good name for the film?.
Amistad means friendship. I feel that this is a great name for the film because it showed.
how justice reunited people as friends.
2. What is the legal status of slavery in 1839 when the movie takes place? .
Currently during this time slavery was allowed if the slaves were born in a plantation or born from a slave. .
.
3. Who are the five parties that make claims at the arraignment of the Amistad Africans? What does each party argue and upon what basis do they make their claim?.
1. District Attorney Holabird.his basis was on the claim of murder and piracy based.
on what happened on la Amistad ship.
2. Talbot an abolitionist who believed these slaves were wrongfully charged. .
3. U.S. Secretary of state John Forsyth whom believed that they were the property of Spain.
and should be returned to the Spain by order of the queen. .
4. Thomas R. Gurney and Richard W. Mead, commissioned naval officers who claimed that these.
slaves are salvaged and should belong to them. .
5. Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montez who were on la Amistad with these slaves claimed that.
they had a receipt of purchase for these slaves. .
4. How is the issue of religion addressed in the film? Provide examples.
Abolitionists and Christians feel it is destiny to save people. When the slaves were reading.
the bible they saw Jesus saving people which symbolized this. Also in the bible while.
they were reading it, they saw Jesus getting captured for no reason even though he was.
innocent. This to these slaves symbolized themselves. After Jesus passed away they saw .
that his spirit went to heaven and that is what they believed in their own fate.