reaching into the hearts of the jurors. Telling a story about the intriguing life and life lost of the Mende people. Their ending up in America and the tragedy and violent cruel torture they endured not only on 'La Amistad" , but also the treatment they received here in America. Who were these people? Why was it such an issue on whose "property" they were? The time was around 1854, and the progression toward the Civil War had begun.

Stephen Spielberg's film "The Amistad" is an illustrative tale of history's

inevitable course. On the surface, Spielberg relates the journey of Cinque and

his people to the Americas. In a larger sense, however, he contrasts a story of

passage to America with its simple values and way of life to the arrival of an

even more savage life and ideas of the civilization from Africa, a story of greater historical significance. The characters are not extensively developed; instead, they are simply presented, even understated at a point. Spielberg's intent is to draw vivid characterizations and to create objects and characters as symbols with larger meanings.

Attorney Baldwin represented good and true values that had never

This story touches upon two schools of thought. The first was the judicial

Whether they were ours, Spain's, or the property of the two Spaniard's

people rested solely on where they were from. The President at that time was

our constitution ever since it was founded. I found myself thinking that this was truly a great film to watch, a story; then remembering that this was history, an actual event that changed the course of our nation forever. This only reinforcesthe aphorism stated in the beginning, "who we are, is who we were."

existed in society. Entirely underqualified for the case he took on, Baldwin used emotion in his argument and turned the tables around to show discrimination

Some common words found in the essay are:
Attorney Baldwin, Stephen Spielberg's, Specifically Cinque, Atty Baldwin, La Amistad, President United, Mende's America, mende people, Civil War, judicial court, characters symbols, power authority, human rights, ,
Approximate Word count = 797
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)