Amistad Page #5

I do see that

the cargo weight changed.

They reduced the poundage,

I see, but that is all.

It's simple, ghastly arithmetic.

Well, for you, perhaps.

I may need a quill and parchment

and a better imagination.

And what poundage do you imagine

the entry may refer to, sir?

A mast and sails, perhaps?

Give us... us... free.

Give... us...

free.

Give us, us free.

Give... us... free.

Your Honour, please

instruct the defendant

not to disrupt proceedings

with such outbursts.

Give us, us free!

If we are to have any semblance

of order in court...

Give us, us free! Give us, us free!

He cannot keep crying out

"Give us free"...

Give us, us free!

... while I am questioning

this witness!

GIVE US, US FREE!

GIVE US, US FREE!

All rise.

After careful review

and thorough reflection,

I find it impossible to deny the

power of the government's position.

There is no doubt in my mind

that District Attorney Holabird,

Her Catholic Majesty,

Isabella of Spain,

and her trusted minister,

Seor Calderon,

have all proceeded

with the utmost faith

in the soundness of their case.

I also believe

that Seors Ruiz and Montes

may have... misrepresented

the origin of the prisoners,

an issue which weighs

crucially upon their fate,

and that of the Spaniards as well.

Were they born in Africa?

Since the answer to that question

shall govern every determination

of this court, I ask it again.

Were they born in Africa?

I believe they were.

As such, Her Catholic Majesty's

claims of ownership have no merit.

Neither do those for salvage

made by Lieutenants Mead and Gedney.

I hereby order the arrest

and detention

of Seors Ruiz and Montes..

... by federal mar...

By federal marshals... on

the charge of slave-trading!

The release of the Africans

and their conveyance,

by this government,

at her earliest

convenience and expense,

back to their homes in Africa!

Yes!

We've done it, Joadson!

We've done it! Yes!

Covey, tell them! Tell them now!

Look at 'em!

What's most bewildering

to Her Majesty

is this arrogant independence

of the American courts.

After all, if you cannot

rule the courts, you cannot rule.

Seor Calderon, as any

true American will tell you,

its the independence of our courts

that keeps us free.

John... I'm glad you came.

Mr. President?

Senator Calhoun is here.

John! I was afraid you weren't

going to be able to join us.

- You may put that fear to rest, sir.

- Oh, thank you! Please.

I'd like you to meet Seor Calderon,

ambassador from Spain.

Buenas noches, Seor Ambassador.

- Thought you said he wasn't coming.

- He said he wasn't.

You see, Seor Calderon,

there's a growing number of people

in this part of the country

that regard us in the South

as not only geographically

beneath them.

They ignore the fact

that slavery is so interwoven

into the fabric of this society,

that to destroy it would be

to destroy us as a people.

It's immoral. That's all they know.

Therefore, so are we.

Immoral and inferior.

We are inferior in one area.

We're not as proficient

in the art of gain.

We're not as wealthy

as our northern neighbors.

We're still struggling.

Take away our life's blood now...

Well, we all know

what happens then.

North and South.

They become the masters,

and we the slaves.

But not without a fight.

Senator Calhoun is being modest.

He's not inferior in another area -

the art of exaggeration.

Ask yourself, Seor Calderon...

What court wants to be responsible

for the spark that ignites

the firestorm?

What president

wants to be in office...

when it comes crashing

down around him?

Certainly no court before this one.

Certainly no president

before this one.

So...

Judge us not too harshly, sir,

and bid Her Majesty like.

Because the real determination our

courts and our president must make

is not whether this

ragtag group of Africans

raised swords against their enemy,

but rather... must we?

Whoa!

Come along, Mr. Joadson.

This news...

Well, of course,

it's bad news, but...

They may be more valuable to our

struggle in death than in life.

Martyrdom, Mr. Joadson.

From the dawn of Christianity,

we have seen no stronger

power for change.

You know it's true.

What is true, Mr. Tappan -

and believe me when I tell you,

I've seen this -

is that there are men whose hatred of

slavery is stronger than anything,

except for the slave himself.

If you wish to inspire such hatred

in a man, Mr. Joadson,

speak to him in that fashion

and it may come true.

Our president,

our big, big man,

has appealed the decision

to our Supreme Court.

What does that mean?

We have to try the case again.

Now, I-I know it's hard

to understand, Cinque.

I don't understand, for that matter.

You said there would be

a judgment, and we would go free.

No, no. What I said is that we won

it at the state level.

I said if we won it at the

state level, we then go on.

That's what you said!

- That's what you said!

- All right! Yes, I said it!

I said it, but I shouldn't have.

What I should have said...

- I can't translate that.

- You can't translate what?

- I can't translate "should".

- There's no Mende word for "should"?

No. Either you do something,

or you don't do it.

What I meant to say, what I meant...

Not in the way you mean it.

Try and understand me.

"Meant" is the same as "should".

You're misunderstanding the language.

Cinque! Listen to me.

Understand what I'm saying.

What I said to you

before the judgment

is almost how it works here.

Almost!

Almost?

Yes, Cinque. But not always.

Yes. And that's what's happened here.

"To His Excellency,

John Quincy Adams,

"Massachusetts member,

House of Representatives.

"I have understood from Mr. Joadson

"that you are acquainted with

the plight of the Amistad Africans.

"If that is true, then you are

aware that we have been,

"at every step, successful in

our presentation of their case.

"Despite this,

"and despite the unlikelihood of

President Van Buren's re-election,

"he has appealed our most recent

favourable decision

"to the highest court in the land.

"As I'm sure you are well aware,

"seven of nine of these

Supreme Court justices

"are themselves Southern

slave owners.

"Sir, we need you.

"If ever there was a time for a man

to cast aside his daily trappings

"and array himself for battle,

that time has come."

Thank you.

"Cicero said, appealing to Claudius

in defence of the Republic,

"that 'the result of this war

"depends on the life of one

most brave and excellent man.'

"In our time, in this instance,

I believe it depends on two.

"A courageous man, at present

in irons, named Cinque,

"and you, sir.

"Sincerely, Roger S Baldwin,

attorney-at-law."

Mr. Tippings, excuse me

a moment, please.

- Any word from... ?

- What did Cinque say?

He won't talk to you.

He won't talk to me?

No.

How's your English coming?

No better than my Mende, I suppose.

Cinque, I know this isn't something

you necessarily want to think about,

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