• Home
  • News
  • Top Picks
    • Movies & Films: Top 25
    • Documentaries: Top 25
    • Films For Students: Top 10
    • Music Videos: Top 10
  • Categories
    • Film
    • Documentary
    • Shorts
    • Blog
    • Calendar
    • Links
    • About

Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World

Libertarian Movies, Films & Documentaries

Amistad (1997)

Tagged: Anti-slavery

Nineteenth century Abolitionist lawyers work to free a group of Africans who have been charged with murder for rebelling against their slave-trading captors. Based on a true story. [ Amistad credits: Dir: Steven Spielberg/ Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou/ 165 min/ Drama/ Anti-Slavery]

“As the proper inheritors of the Abolitionist tradition—nowadays opposing slavery in all its manifestations and degrees—libertarians will find this an inspiring historical drama.”

In 1808 Congress passed legislation making it illegal to bring new slaves into the U.S. from Africa. So when, in 1839, a boatload of Africans of unknown origin washed up on the coast of New England with a murdered crew, whom the Africans had apparently rebelled against and killed, the question of how the Africans were to be treated depended on their point of origin.

If they had come directly from Africa, then they were free African men (who had legitimately defended themselves against illegal kidnapping). If they were from America, then they were slaves (who had killed their owners). It was eventually proven that they had been transported directly from Africa and were therefore free according to U.S. law. However, powerful pro-slavery interests nonetheless opposed their release and fought the case all the way to the Supreme Court. Abolitionist attorneys joined the slavers in a pitched legal battle, and that battle is the focus of Amistad.

This is a great example of the importance of individual action in making liberty a reality. It’s inspiring to see at work the legal heroes who fight the good fight. At another level, the film is also a plug for the separation of powers. At one point the Spanish queen (who wants Spanish property claims on the Africans enforced) sends a letter complaining of the “independence” of American courts, and the viewer is reminded that dispersion of political power is one of the checks on its arbitrary usage.

Also in the plus column here are two particular points with regard to the telling of the history of slavery. First, unlike many other films on the subject of slavery, this one does not degenerate into a guilt-ridden “all white people are bad” scenario. In this film, as in real life, there are good and bad white people, good and bad black people. Second, this is the first film I have ever seen that gives the British their proper credit for ending the slave trade on a world scale. The fact that, after Britain banned slavery, the Royal Navy went out of its way to destroy slave-trading centers along the African coast is almost unknown today, but those deeds play a small part here.

As entertainment, Amistad is not as awesome as one might expect given director Speilberg’s record, but it’s certainly above average. It’s largely a courtroom drama, sympathetically told and backed by an effective John Williams musical score. On the downside, it could have been a bit shorter than its two-and-a-half hours, and there are times when the telling seems slightly theatrical; but these are minor flaws. As the proper inheritors of the Abolitionist tradition—nowadays opposing slavery in all its manifestations and degrees—libertarians will find this an inspiring historical drama. Sensitive viewers should be aware, however, that there are some violent scenes, as might be expected of a film on such a subject.

How to See It

Netflix
Amazon (DVD)
Amazon (Instant Video)
Online Video Search

Links

IMDB
Wikipedia

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Related

Featured Post

covid response

Covid Response Pitch Meeting: Harrison Hill Smith

This hilarious skit by Comedian Harrison Hill Smith reimagines the government's initial Covid response pitch meeting among experts. If you're wondering how authorities could have made their response so haphazard and contradictory, this is one scenario. h/t Instapundit … Continue Reading

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace (2006)

WINNER: TOP 25 LIBERTARIAN FILMS Inspired by Christian teachings against slavery, William Wilberforce leads an arduous but ultimately victorious life-long battle to abolish the slave trade. [ Amazing Grace credits: Dir: Michael Apted/ Ioan Gruffudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney/ 111 min/ Drama, … Continue Reading

victimless crime spree

Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree (2012)

WINNER: TOP 25 LIBERTARIAN DOCUMENTARIES Libertarian activist Derrick J. Freeman chronicles his arrest and incarceration for five "crimes" -- videoing police, dancing in a public place, smoking cannabis, wearing a hat in court, and riding a bike -- in a civil disobedience spree that demonstrates just how … Continue Reading

Themes

Abuse of power American revolution Anti-draft Anti-regulation Anti-slavery Anti-socialism Anti-taxation Anti-war Ayn Rand Corrupt government Creator as hero Democide Econ 101 Eminent domain Equality & law Escape from socialism Freedom of speech Free press as hero Government as bigot Government as torturer Government enforced morality Government healthcare Government schools Incompetent government Individualism John Stossel Law & liberty Legalize Drugs Libertarian heroes Libertarianism 101 Power corrupts Power worship Pro-capitalism Pro-immigration Propaganda Psychiatric coercion Resistance to tyranny Right to secede Search & seizure Second amendment Sexual liberty Social tolerance Unions & monopolies Voluntarism Working for government

Genres/Categories

Action-Adventure Animated Biography Blog Comedy Documentary Drama Family Featured Film Foreign History Horror Music-Dance Netflix News Romance SciFi-Fantasy Shorts Thriller Upcoming Western

About Miss Liberty

This site is a collection of films and documentaries of particular interest to libertarians (and those interested in libertarianism). It began as a book, Miss Liberty’s Guide to Film: Movies for the Libertarian Millennium, where many of the recommended films were first reviewed. The current collection has grown to now more than double the number in that original list, and it’s growing still.

  • RSS

© 2025 Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World. All Rights Reserved