Episode 26: The Amistad Rebellion-Origins and Middle Passage
/Historians estimate that 12.5 million African slaves were transported across the Atlantic Ocean from the 1500's into the early 1800's. Millions would die due to the horrible and dehumanizing conditions of the Middle Passage. But in July of 1839, slaves aboard "La Amistad" slave ship overthrew their captors and changed history forever.
This is Part I in a multi-part series on the Amistad Slave Rebellion. It deals primarily with the origins of the Amistad slaves and their journey into slavery and across the Middle Passage. Future episodes will look at the revolt itself and the slaves' struggle to regain freedom in the courtroom.