Analyzing Sources on the Amistad Case

In this lesson,Gary Fisher’s students re-enact the Amistadtrial,addressing the issues of slavery,property rights,rebellion,morality,justice,and the law.Amistad is one of several cases students in Mr.Fisher’s class have studiedto understand a larger issue:how the Supreme Court has influenced the lives of African Americans past andpresent.Students learn the background of the Amistadincident,from the seizure of the Spanish slave ship by its Africanpassengers,to the interception of the commandeered vessel by a U.S.warship off the coast of Long Island,to thesubsequent trial of the Africans on charges of mutiny and murder.During the lesson,Mr.Fisher’s teaching partnerspeaks to the class in Spanish.Some students understand,but others experience firsthand the language barrierAfricans on the Amistadencountered with each other and with their captors.Teams for the plaintiffs,defendants,and judges prepare for the mock trial,conduct the trial,and reach a verdict about the fate of the AmistadAfricans.From this exercise,students learn how the Supreme Court helps shape American history.

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