"Vividly drawn . . . this stunning book honors the achievement of the captive Africans who fought for—and won—their freedom.”
—
The Philadelphia Tribune
A unique account of the most successful slave rebellion in American history, now updated with a new epilogue—from the award-winning author of
The Slave Ship
In this powerful and highly original account, Marcus Rediker reclaims the
Amistad
rebellion for its true proponents: the enslaved Africans who risked death to stake a claim for freedom. Using newly discovered evidence and featuring vividly drawn portraits of the rebels, their captors, and their abolitionist allies, Rediker reframes the story to show how a small group of courageous men fought and won an epic battle against Spanish and American slaveholders and their governments. The successful
rebellion changed the very nature of the struggle against slavery. As a handful of self-emancipated Africans steered their own course for freedom, they opened a way for millions to follow.
This edition includes a new epilogue about the author's trip to Sierra Leona to  search for Lomboko, the slave-trading factory where the
Africans were incarcerated
,
and other relics and connections to the
rebellion, especially living local memory of the uprising and the people who made it.