More importantly, Foner raises questions not only about the accuracy of details and lack of historic context, but also about the messages behind Hollywoods portrayal of history as entertainment. Instead, they are taken to Connecticut, where they are brought to trial for murder. With what arguments does Secretary of State Forsyth persuade the President to replace the judge of the District Court? What follows is a lesson plan for advanced level students providing background information as well as pre-, while- and post-viewing assignments which address issues that could become topics of discussion or closer study. Over a three-day period, more than 3,000 whites paid 12 cents apiece to gawk at the Africans. . Amistad, of course, was a film, and its writers created several fictitious characters.Theodore Joadson, portrayed in the film by Morgan Freeman, is one example. The Africans are treated cruelly on board the Tecora. Collect information on the real case of the Amistad slaves and compare it with its depiction in the movie. As tension rises, Cinqu abruptly stands and demands, "Give us, us free!". Elmer P. Martin, Ph.D., is a sociology professor at Morgan State University and co-founder, with his wife, Joanne M. Martin, Ph.D., of the Great Blacks In Wax Museum. Plot. In the trial that would challenge the very foundation of the American legal system, abolitionist Theodore Joadson, trial lawyer Roger Baldwin and ex-president John Quincy Adams argue for the freedom and civil rights of the captive African slaves. _____ PART B (DURING VIEWING) /60 points Task One /5 points What are a few outstanding elements of character, tone, and gesture which the actor Morgan Freeman brings into the role of Theodore Joadson? : [14] Foner wrote, "In fact, the Amistad case revolved around the Atlantic slave trade by 1840 outlawed by international treaty and had nothing whatsoever to do with slavery as a domestic institution. | Steven Spielberg's powerful "Amistad" again demonstrates the director's flair for bringing lost worlds alive. Discuss whether, in your opinion, it is legitimate to change historical facts in movies. : Propose ways that could solve their language problem. Cinque tells Adams of a Mende tradition, which says when a member of the tribe needs help they appeal to their ancestors. before their thirteen colonies could precisely be called United States. . From the dawn of Christianity we have seen no stronger power for change. . What is true, Mr. Tappan - and believe me when I tell you that I have seen this - is that there are some men whose hatred of slavery is stronger than any, except for the slave himself. They approach the brilliant lawyer, former US president and serving U.S. representative John Quincy Adams, but he is reluctant to get involved. He describes how he was kidnapped from his home, and the horrors of the Middle Passage. Theodore Joadson The Washington Post, Rita Kempley, December 12, 1997. As a lawyer, his career was most notable for his participation in the 1841 Amistad case. They organized the legal defense and raised money for the Mende Africans during their imprisonment. You and Baldwin have shown what they are; theyre Africans. With: Theodore Joadson - Morgan Freeman John Quincy Adams - Anthony Hopkins Baldwin - Matthew McConaughey Martin Van Buren - Nigel Hawthorne Cinque - Djimon Hounsou Secretary Forsyth - David . As a result, the movie doesn't have the emotional charge of Spielberg's earlier film or of The Color Purple, which moved me to tears. Describe the conversation between Cinque and Baldwin. In the greenhouse he tells him about the origin of his flowers, including an African violet. But in the film he is caricatured and his role is minimized. It would have been far better to have the Africans speak English (the film, after all, is historical fiction), rather than rendering them virtually mute. : / a court that can be . When giving his verdict, the judge asks and answers the fundamental question: Where they born in Africa? Tappan Some smaller chapters have been left out. Theodore Joadson The Creole served as the greatest testament to the inconsistency and the hypocrisy of the white heroes of the Amistad. There are cross-cuts between him thinking and praying at a chapel and the Africans talking about the Bible back in prison. Theodore Judson (born December 19, 1951) is an American science fiction writer and high school teacher. Adams walks over to where the Declaration of Independence hangs on the wall and points out its meaning. Morgan Freeman as a (fictional) abolitionist newspaper editor, Theodore Joadson. This speech is very impressive. A soundtrack album was released on December 9, 1997 by DreamWorks Records. easy canvas painting with black background. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2006.Hadden, Sally E. Review of Amistad. Theodore Joadson. Yet the same abolitionists, lawyers and ex-president who had defended the Mende people so vigorously in the Amistad affair, stood silent about the Creole mutiny, which had taken place among American black people in U.S. waters. During the scene where the characters Joseph Cinqu and John Quincy Adams meet for the first time, actors Hounsou and Hopkins "struggled through take after take, trying not to cry", and had to be continually told by Spielberg to hold back the tears as it wasn't appropriate for that moment in the scene. Joadson even sits in courtrooms with the white characters and roams the halls of the Supreme Court. The Representation of Blacks in Amistad: Customs and Culture 1. Amistad. Referring to Adams being a former president, Cinque says, A chief cannot become anything less than a chief, not even in death. Discuss this statement, also referring to great statesmen. The judge states that the treaty with Spain is inapplicable as the Africans cannot be considered merchandise and thus the blacks are not slaves but free individuals. The Spaniards predictably betray them and instead sail into US waters, where the ship is stopped by the U.S. revenue cutter Washington, and the mutineers are arrested. The genre is that of a courtroom drama or a social problem film. Cinqu returns to Africa, but is unable to reunite with his family due to civil war in Sierra Leone. Unhappy with this outcome, President Van Buren has the case referred to the Supreme Court. Boston, Nov. 6th. Roger S. Baldwin. [23], The United States Department of State and the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematogrficos (ICAIC) collaborated in 1998 to screen Amistad as part of an effort to increase "cultural diplomacy" built around shared national histories of racial struggles in the United States and Cuba.[24]. They are soon joined by Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), a property attorney of little repute. One vital task the Founding Father's left to their sons John Quincy Adams The justices rule in favor of the Africans in an eight-to-one decision. Collect information on the vessel La Amistad and present it to the class. As the case of the slaves is of great importance for the future of the country and could lead to civil war, it is decided that the judge who is hearing the case should be replaced. The actor who secured the role would also need to learn the Mende accent spoken by Cinqu. People were captured in wars and forced into slavery. You and this young so-called lawyer have proven you know what they are. He said that among the most hated aspects of the film was being locked in real chains and shackles, which made him feel like quitting on the first day.[2]. The Joadson role is a . They are released and can return to their homes in Africa. John Forsyth, Secretary of State Amistad is a 1997 American historical drama film based on the true story of the mutiny that occurred aboard La Amistad (Spanish for "friendship") in 1839. Morgan Freeman, as abolitionist Theodore Joadson Based on the true story of the failed mutiny on board the slave ship Amistad in 1839, and the courtroom battle that followed. Amistads problems go far deeper than such anachronisms as President Martin Van Buren campaigning for reelection on a whistle-stop train tour (in 1840, candidates did not campaign), or people constantly talking about the coming Civil War, which lay twenty years in the future. [citation needed]. Incongruous as it may seem, it was perfectly possible in the nineteenth century to condemn the importation of slaves from Africa while simultaneously defending slavery and the flourishing slave trade within the United States. Theodore Joadson The slave trade was dominated by the British. | , to ancient times, to biblical times ), metaphor (The long powerful arm of the executive office, the last battle of the American Revolution), simile (the truth has been driven from this case like a slave, toyed with like a doll), irony (At least Im sure the President hopes you all read it), allusion (to Patrick Henry, hero of the American Revolution known for having said: Give me liberty, or give me death.). State to what extent you consider it appropriate. However, black Americans felt a deep sense of betrayal because none of this great moral fervor and feverish activity was directed at their plight. Watch the first scene and make notes of what happens (preferably in English). Theodore Joadson I believe they were. And thus he declares the Africans free. Despite open auditions being held in London, Paris and Sierra Leone, the role remained unfilled with just nine weeks before filming was due to start. Tappan If the authors of the study guide really want to promote an understanding of slavery, they should direct students not to this highly flawed film, but to the local library. Burial Rites 7. Baldwin finds papers that confirm that the Africans originally sailed on a Portuguese vessel, the Tecora, which was engaged in illegal slave trade. Amistad never departs from a strict one-to-one ratio between black and white lead characters. He asks Cinque to stand up and explains that if he were not a black man, he would be considered a hero as he fought for his freedom. . Amistad. : Thomas Gedney, Richard Meade, naval officers On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 78% based on reviews from 67 critics, with an average score of 6.9/10. The answer is obvious: he is necessary to maintain a racial quota. Amistad. The Amistad Committee (the Committee) was founded in 1839 by Lewis Tappan, Simeon Joceyln, and Joshua Leavitt. Lewis Tappan and a fictional character, Theodore Joadson (an African-American abolitionist), join forces to promote the cause of the Amistad captives; they are aided by Roger Baldwin, portrayed as an ambulance-chasing money-grubbing attorney who tries property cases and who sees the slaves, at least initially, as simply a different form of . But he (Spielberg) wanted to make a point and I understood that. "[20], Morgan Freeman is very proud of the movie, having said, "I loved the film. After six weeks they run out of water and sail towards land. To the Editor: In " 'Amistad' and the Abuse of History" [February] Gary Rosen goes too far. [19], In 2014, the movie was one of several discussed by Noah Berlatsky in The Atlantic in an article concerning white savior narratives in film, calling it "sanctimonious drivel. Theodore Joadson: I am embarrassed to admit that I was under the misconception that our Executive and Judicial Branches were separate. During the film's development, John Quincy Adams, the African lawyer, was the first to file a brief in support . The ship is traveling from Cuba to the United States and has a cargo of Africans captured in Sierra Leone and held at the Lomboko slave fortress. Nowhere in America during the 1840s (and for many decades after) was a black man allowed to sit in a courtroom even as a witness or defendant. If so, why? Most black people in America had already been declared to be the legal property and merchandise of white men. No you're an ex-slave whose devoted his life to the abolition of slavery, and overcoming the obstacles and hardships along the way, I should imagine. Hopkins reportedly wept once the scene was completed. As history, this account of a Cuban slave ship seized in 1839 by its African captives, and their legal travail that ended in the U. S. Supreme Court, also leaves much to be desired. The film gives the distinct impression that the Supreme Court was convinced by Adams' plea to repudiate slavery in favor of the natural rights of man, thus taking a major step on the road to abolition.