EPISODE 117: The Amistad Rebellion
From History on Fire by Daniele Bolelli
March 16, 2026 · 1h 31m · Season 1 · Episode 117
About this episode
The episode explores the Amistad Rebellion, a significant yet overlooked event in U.S. history involving a slave revolt, international diplomacy, and a landmark Supreme Court case.
This story has everything. Raids to enslave people. A bloody rebellion at sea. Piracy. A diplomatic crisis pitting Spain, the United States and England at odds with each other. High stakes courtroom drama which sparked intense clashes between abolitionists and cheerleaders of slavery. Some of the most powerful people in the world debating the pros and cons of the case, including government officials from multiple countries, three American presidents (Adams, Martin Van Buren, and John Tyler), and at least a couple of queens (Queen Victoria of Britain and Queen Isabella II of Spain). A 73 year-old former US President arguing in front of the Supreme Court for the freedom of a group of Africans, and stating that protecting them was the greatest event in his life. Despite having all these epic ingredients, the tale I’m about to tell you had faded into obscurity until the 1960s. And even then, it remained mostly unknown until good, ole Steven Spielberg made a movie about it in the 1990s. Incidentally, that’s one of the few reasons why this story has attracted any attention. Even to this day, preciously little about this is usually found in academic texts on U.S. history. If you feel…
Topics covered
- Amistad Rebellion
- slavery
- abolitionism
- courtroom drama
- diplomatic crisis
Keywords
- history
- piracy
- court case
- abolitionists
- U.S. presidents
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps, Reishi, Chaga
Books & works: History on Fire
Places: Spain, the United States, England, Britain, US, U.S., Japan
More episodes of History on Fire
- [RERUN] EPISODE 86: The French Wars of Religion · May 18, 2026 · 1h 43m
- EPISODE 118: Woe to the Vanquished · April 20, 2026 · 1h 40m
- [RERUN] EPISODE 84: History and Video Games · February 16, 2026 · 2h 18m
- EPISODE 116: The Daring Ones - The Arditi in WWI · January 19, 2026 · 2h 2m
- [RERUN] EPISODE 83: From Slavery to Boxing: The Story of Bill Richmond · December 15, 2025 · 1h 60m
- EPISODE 115: Us vs. Them · November 17, 2025 · 1h 24m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the History on Fire podcast page.