AMISTAD
Vocabulary Chapters 1& 2 1. slave 2. slavery 3. chain 4. captain 5.president 6. court 7. judge 8. jury 9. law 10.lawyer 11. sir 12. case 13. proof 14. property 15. independence 16. spike 17. lion 18. net 19. base 20. direct 21. language 22. kidnappers 23. Havana 24. Cuba 25. metal 26. unlocked 27. freedom 28. unusual 29. escape 30. towards
Vocabulary Chapters 3-4 1. pleased 2. abolitionist 3.slave 4. newspaper 5. newspaper business 6.West Indies 7. Africans 8. two-sides of a story
Vocabulary Chapter 5 -6 Courtroom Uncomfortable Property Problem Solution Rightly Wrongly Criminal Government Kidnapper Straight from US court judge
CHARACTERS – Chapters 1 and 2 AFRICANS NON-AFRICANS Cinque Yamba Fala Buakei “wife’s voice” Captain Ruiz Montes
Characters Chapter 3 and 4 Africans Spanish American Cinque Yamba - tall Fala – strange pointed teeth Buakei Ruiz Montes Senore Calderon Gedney Meade Pres. Martin Van Buren Leder Hammond Theodore Joadson – former slave Lewis Tappan – abolitionist, newspaper man
Characters Chapter 5 and 6 Minor - Judge Judson William Holabird – US lawyer Lewis Tappan – wants to represent Africans Policeman Senor Calderon- represents Queen opf Spain John Forsyth – US government secretary – supporter of Calderon Thomas Gedney Richard Meade Ruiz Montes Roger Baldwin John Quincy Adams – 72, former 6th president of US Tappan Joadson
Setting CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 Place - The Amistad Time – June 28-July, 1839 – not exact at this time- before American Civil War Mood -Violence, despair, hope, despair CHAPTERS 3 U.S. Washington/Amistad; to CT. / prixon July 1839 Depair CHAPTER 4 Train of campaigning president on its way to Washington, D.C./newspaper office of Tappan Disinterest of president/ insistence of Calderon; desire to help Joadson and Tappan CHAPTER 5 Courtroom/outside courtroom 1839- same day Conflicting stories and realization of “being murderer”; despair and confusion/hope through Baldwin CHAPTER 6 Washington, D.C. – home of John Q. Adams 1839 Despari from Adams/ hope again from Baldwin
Conflicts Conflict Proof Man vs man Man vs society Man vs nature Man vs universe Man vs self Man vs Supernatural Cinque and captain Cinque and Yamba Africans vs slave owners Two sides of an issue; politics; accused of murder; rules about slavery; kidnapping Africans vs navigation/thirst/surviving Africans vs concept of slavery Cinque vs to kill Africans vs self(suicide) Cinque vs concept of ancestors/Christianity
Important quotes: Gedney: “If the slaves are mine now,” he though, “I can sell them in America and get a lot of money” (p. 6). “They think we’re murderers or animals” (p. 7). – Cinque “An American court can decide what happens next” (p. 6) Gadney “These two men bought the salves in Havana,” Calderon explained, “So the slaves are their property and since Cuba belongs to Spain, they are Spain’s property. The queen of Spain wants you to return the slaves at once” (p. 9). Joadson to JQA:“There must be an end to slavery. And the fact is that you are against slavery. You belong with us” (14).
Point of View Omniscient Goes into the thoughts of the characters: Gedney on page 6 and Cinque on page 7 (“They think we’re murderers or animals”)
Theme Are people property? Goes along with US Constitution: man’s inalienable rights: life, liberty (freedom) and the pursuit of happiness What is justice? Were the Africans justifiable in murdering (was is murder?) their kidnappers?
CHAPTER 5 “In the Courtroom” Part 1 Setting: Courtroom – July 1839 Characters;: Minor - Judge Judson William Holabird – US lawyer Lewis Tappan – wants to represent Africans Policeman Senor Calderon- represents Queen opf Spain John Forsyth – US government secretary – supporter of Calderon Thomas Gedney Richard Meade Ruiz Montes Roger Baldwin Conflicts man vs man vs society – slaves vs all who believe the slaves are theirs either individually or nationally Symbol: chains
Chapter 5 “In the Courtroom” Part 2 Setting: outside the courtroom, same day Characters: Baldwin – property lawyer Lewis Tappan Conflicts: MAN VS MAN – Baldwin vs Tappan – ideas of property lawyer vs criminal lawyer
Chapter 6 “People are Not Property” Part 1 Setting: Washington, DC Characters: John Quincy Adams – 72, former 6th president of US Tappan Joadson Conflicts: Man vs man – JQA vs Joadson and Tappan (denied help) Man vs self – Adams is he for or against slavery
Chapter 6 “People are not Property” – Part 2 Setting: restaurant Characters: Joadson Tappan Baldwin Conflicts: Man vs society – Slaves vs US courts No matter what the court decides, the slaves will be sold to Spain, sent back to Cuba and be killed as murderers Man vs society – Baldwin vs U Courtsare they property? Were Were they kidnapped? If so, kidnappers are criminals, not the Africans. they born slaves? Murder is not the issue.