_cb01_gold_amistad_1997

: President Martin Van Buren, seeking re-election, faces pressure from Southern pro-slavery leaders like John C. Calhoun.

as Theodore Joadson (a fictional composite character). Matthew McConaughey as Roger Sherman Baldwin. Nigel Hawthorne as President Martin Van Buren. Critical Reception & Awards _cb01_gold_Amistad_1997

: A young lawyer, Roger Baldwin, initially argues the case as a property dispute, claiming the Africans were illegally kidnapped and therefore "stolen goods" rather than legal slaves. : President Martin Van Buren, seeking re-election, faces

: Former President John Quincy Adams eventually joins the defense, delivering a famous, impassioned plea before the U.S. Supreme Court that ultimately secures the Africans' freedom. Starring Cast Djimon Hounsou as Joseph Cinqué (Sengbe Pieh). Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams. Matthew McConaughey as Roger Sherman Baldwin

The film begins with a violent uprising led by (Joseph Cinqué), who leads fellow Mende captives in seizing control of the La Amistad off the coast of Cuba. After the ship is intercepted by a U.S. revenue cutter near Long Island, the Africans are imprisoned in Connecticut. The resulting legal case becomes a massive international dispute involving: