Amistad

In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured by the Mende tribesmen on board and managed to gain control of their captors' ship off the coast of Cuba. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free. Based on the true story of the events in 1839 aboard the La Amistad, a slave ship transporting captured Africans from Cuba to the United States.