Amistad- The Facts Behind the Film

The movie, Amistad, is based on the story of African Americans apart of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. This slave trade was an awful business that run by Portugal for two hundred years. The trade began in 1440, and was finally ended in 1640. Europeans were in need of laborers as they desired to expand to the extent that unemployed laborers were sparse. African Americans proved to be perfect for labor as they were strongly built and were familiar with building and tending cattle. Slaves were bought from Africa at the exchange of beads, horses, shells, textile, brandy, and guns. However, many slaves were men and women captured in war.

The slave trade ships were converted from cargo boats for the specific purpose of transporting slaves. The conditions on the ships were horrendous. Disease and malnutrition were extremely common and the death rate was 13% more than for the sailors on the same ship. Proper hygene was not an issue to those who controlled the ships, but provided the least amount of food, clothing, and shelter as possible. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was characterized by degradation and dehumanization of the slaves. Slaves were not viewed as human beings, but as labor units.

The slaves were usually chained together and then forced into an extremely confined and overcrowded deck. Ships transported hundreds of slaves, squeezing all of them into two decks, and keeping the slaves in the same room for an entire week. These ships were a tragic site that demonstrated man's disregard of human decency simply due to the color of another man's skin. We should all be thankful that such slave trades were abolished and hope that mankind will respect the common human rights of all people, no matter their race or origins.