Amistad: The Federal Courts and the Challenge to Slavery

Federal Judicial Center. Amistad: The Federal Courts and the Challenge to Slavery. February 7, 2002. In 1839 the federal courts became the stage for a drama involving enslaved Africans who led a revolt against their captors and sought to return to their homeland in West Africa. The case of the Amistad forced the judiciary to address issues related to the slave trade, the property claims of slaveholders, and the enslaved men's claim of personal liberty. This program uses an extensive selection of historic images and documents to tell the story that culminated with the Supreme Court's decision about the freedom of the Africans from the Amistad.