Second in a limited series: The Amistad Trilogy.
In 1839, 53 captive Africans rebelled aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad. They took over the ship, but were captured by the US Navy in Long Island Sound and taken into custody. They then allied with local abolitionists in Connecticut to fight for their freedom through the US court system, and ultimately won. Over 150 years later ,the Connecticut legislature established the CT Freedom Trail. Its mission is documenting and designating sites that embody the struggle toward freedom and human dignity, and celebrating the accomplishments of the state’s Black and African American communities. The story of the Amistad is one of the most famous stories along the CT Freedom Trail.
Join us for the Connecticut Freedom Trail’s upcoming Amistad Trilogy. This series of programs will dive into the legacy of the Amistad saga in Connecticut and beyond. Explore some of the lesser known or untold sides of the story, and discover the countless ways the Amistad is remembered today!
Episode 2: The Amistad Rebellion in History and Film
The story of the Amistad has been researched and told countless times, but rarely from the point of view of the Africans themselves.
Join Marcus Rediker, Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh, who will discuss his prize-winning book, The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom (2012)and his prize-winning documentary film Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels (2014), directed by Tony Buba, showing how the meaning of the event changes when we look “from below,”” from the point of view of the Africans who emancipated themselves through the uprising. Prof. Rediker will also discuss the meaning of the event in its own time and in ours when the teaching of history has become controversial.
Make sure to watch the “Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels” here before the program: https://youtu.be/oUCPo0DSstY
Register: https://bit.ly/CFT2023AmistadRebellion