The Amistad Rebellion

The Amistad Rebellion was a 1839 uprising aboard a Spanish slave ship, where enslaved Africans, led by Sengbe Pieh (Joseph Cinqué), overpowered the crew to gain freedom. The ship was caught off the U.S. coast, sparking a legal case over their status—whether they were legally kidnapped or free as humans. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually recognized the enslaved people’s right to freedom, ruling they had been illegally enslaved and should be released. The event heightened anti-slavery sentiments and became a symbol of resistance against slavery in the United States.