Armistad

I have always found the subject of slavery in America to be an incredibly sobering aspect of our history to study. It is a regrettable yet essential part of our history that can’t be ignored. Until watching the movie, Armistad, however, I had never heard of this slave uprising on a ship in the West Indies, leading to a significant Supreme Court Case.

Though it was fascinating to learn about this historical incident, I found the movie extremely valuable in its stirring portrayal of what the slave trade was really like. It’s one thing to read about it in text books, but quite another to watch actors really bring it to life. The way the Africans were chained, pushed around, whipped, and even killed, is absolutely abominable. They were treated worse than animals. It is beyond me to try and understand how anyone could consider a race of people as sub-human and treat them in such a horrific manner.

After examining one of those slave trips, like the Armistad, it is little wonder that so many Africans died on the journey to slavery. Way too many of them were cramped into very little living space, they were chained like animals, and given so very little food. If any of them showed any sign of illness or weakness, they were not given food, essentially condemning them to die. It was a barbaric scenario of survival of the fittest. I find it remarkable that so many were able to make it through the treacherous journey alive.

Africans were kidnapped from the happiness and security of their homes, often even by fellow Africans. They were ripped away from family, from their very lives to enter a living Hell of subjection to a group of people who saw themselves as superior. They were alone, frightened, and had no way of communicating to these strange, brutal barbarians. They contracted diseases and were provided with no care. The very world seemed to be against them, and it took extraordinary strength and courage to endure such pain and sufferings.

This movie opened my eyes even more to the reality of the slave trade and the conditions under which they were forced to suffer. Awareness is such an essential component of knowledge in any subject. Watching was a very sobering, yet extremely educational experience that I definitely value.