About the Program
Marcus Rediker, history professor at the University of Pittsburgh, recounts the slave revolt aboard the Spanish schooner, Amistad in 1839. The author reports that four days after the ship set sail the captives revolted, killed the captain, and took command of the ship. The Amistad was eventually commandeered by the U.S. Navy and the men aboard were sent to prison in Connecticut, where they awaited a trail heard by the Supreme Court. Their case, defended by John Quincy Adams, resulted in their release and return to Africa. Marcus Rediker speaks at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia.