In Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, the shipboard rebellion begins in 1839.
The revolt takes place aboard La Amistad, a Spanish slave ship carrying Africans who had been kidnapped and transported for sale. Sengbe Pieh, known in the United States as Cinqué, leads the captives in taking control of the vessel in July 1839.
The rebels attempt to force the surviving crew to sail back toward Africa, but the ship is intercepted near Long Island. Their capture leads to a major legal and political dispute in the United States over whether they are enslaved property or illegally kidnapped people who should be free.
The film’s courtroom story follows the case through different stages, including the United States Supreme Court. It is based on a real historical event, although the movie condenses and dramatizes some episodes. The rebellion’s year is 1839, while the Supreme Court decision came later, in 1841.