Quotes

Dialogue

Theodore Joadson: There remains one task undone. One vital task the Founding Fathers left to their sons... John Quincy Adams: Yes? Theodore Joadson: ...before their thirteen colonies could precisely be called United States. And that task, Sir, as you well know, is crushing slavery.

Dialogue

John Quincy Adams: What is their story, by the way? Theodore Joadson: Sir? John Quincy Adams: What is their story? Theodore Joadson: Why, they're um...they're from west Africa. John Quincy Adams: No. What is their story? [Joadson exhales and looks confused] Mr. Joadson, you're from where originally? Theodore Joadson: Why, Georgia, sir. John Quincy Adams: Georgia. Theodore Joadson: Yes, sir. John Quincy Adams: Does that pretty much sum up what you are? A Georgian? Is that your story? No...you're an ex-slave who's devoted his life to the abolition of slavery, and overcoming the obstacles and hardships along the way, I should imagine. That's your story, isn't it? [Joadson smiles and nods] [laughs] You and this young so-called lawyer have proven you know what they are. They're Africans. Congratulations. What you don't know, and as far as I can tell haven't bothered in the least to discover, is who they are. Right?

Dialogue

Amistad Slave 1: [in Mende] He reminds me of that Fula of Baoma, you know the one who hires himself to scrape elephant dung from the crop rows. Amistad Slave 2: [in Mende] A dung-scraper might be just the kind of man we need right now. Roger Sherman Baldwin: [point to a map] Here, Africa? Is this where you're from? A-fri-ca?

Dialogue

Roger Sherman Baldwin: On the other hand, let's say they aren't slaves. If they aren't slaves, in which case they were illegally acquired, weren't they? Forget mutiny, forget piracy, forget murder and all the rest. Those are subsequent irrelevant occurrences. Ignore everything but the pre-eminent issue at hand. The wrongful transfer of stolen goods. Either way, we win. Lewis Tappan: Sir, this war must be waged on the battlefield of righteousness. Roger Sherman Baldwin: The what?

Dialogue

Roger Sherman Baldwin: Cinque describes the cold-blooded murder of a significant portion of the people on board the Tecora. Mr Holabird sees this as a paradox. Do you, sir? Captain Fitzgerald: Often when slavers are intercepted, or believe they may be, they simply throw all their prisoners over board and thereby rid themselves of the evidence of their crime. Roger Sherman Baldwin: Drown hundreds of people? Captain Fitzgerald: Yes. William S. Holabird: It hardly seems a lucrative business to me, this slave trading. Going to all that trouble, rounding everybody up, only to throw them all overboard. Captain Fitzgerald: No, it's very lucrative. Roger Sherman Baldwin: If only we could corroborate Cinque's story somehow with evidence of some kind. Captain Fitzgerald: The inventory. If you look, there's a notation made on May tenth, correcting the number of slaves on board, reducing their number by fifty. Roger Sherman Baldwin: What does that mean? Captain Fitzgerald: Well, if you look at it

Dialogue

Cinque: You don't have to pretend to be interested in that. Nobody's watching but me. Yamba: I'm not pretending. I'm beginning to understand it. Their people have suffered more than ours...Their lives were full of suffering. [turns the page, showing an image of the newborn Jesus] Then he was born and everything changed. Cinque: Who is he? Yamba: I don't know, but everywhere he goes he is followed by the sun. [turns the page, showing Jesus healing the sick] Here he is healing people with his hands. [another page, Jesus protecting Mary Magdelene] Protecting them... [another page, Jesus with children] Being given children... Cinque: [sees a picture of Jesus walking on water] What's this? Yamba: He could also walk across the sea. [as he speaks, Judge Coglin kneels before a communion rail, praying] But then something happened...He was captured, accused of some sort of crime. [turns the page, showing Jesus before Pilate] Here he is with his hands tied. Cinque: He must have done something. Ya

Dialogue

Calderon: 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. Martin Van Buren: Señor Calderon, as any true American will tell you, it's the independence of our courts that keeps us free.

Dialogue

John Quincy Adams: Now, you understand you're going to the Supreme Court. Do you know why? Ens. Covey: [translating for Cinque] It is the place where they finally kill us.

Dialogue

Ens. Covey: [translating for Cinque after he has been set free] What did you say to them? John Quincy Adams: Huh? Ens. Covey: [translates again] What words did you use to persuade them? John Quincy Adams: [looks at Cinque] Yours.