The Amistad mutiny is a famous and significant event in American history. On July 30, 1839, a group of enslaved Africans aboard the Spanish slave ship La Amistad staged a rebellion. Led by Joseph Cinqué (or Sengbe Pieh), they managed to kill the captain and other crew members, taking control of the ship. However, the rebels did not know how to navigate, and they were eventually captured off Long Island, New York, on August 26, 1839.

The case became a legal battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was ruled in 1841 that the enslaved Africans had been illegally captured and were entitled to their freedom. The Amistad case became a symbol of the abolitionist movement and highlighted the moral and legal challenges surrounding slavery in the United States.