Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
Publication Information
Author:  Myers, Walter Dean	Illustrator:
Title:  Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom	Date:  1998
Publisher:  Dutton	City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0-525-45970-7	ISBN, hardback:
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes	ESOL:
Family:   Yes	Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:
General Information:
Book Type(s):    nonfiction
HSE Descriptor(s):    social studies
Summary:
When slaves on the ship Amistad rebelled and tried to return home to Africa, they were captured and embroiled in legal battles of slavery and abolition in the U.S. The book includes sections on Further Reading, Bibliography, Epilogue, and endpaper courtroom sketches of the Amistad slave group.
Teaching Ideas:
Students might explore the leadership characteristics and personal qualities of Sengbe that raise him from an ordinary man to a hero. The book could be paired with Anthony Burns, another abolition courtroom story. Creating a timeline might help students follow the events more easily. If students have seen the movie, they could discuss the similarities and differences using a Venn diagram. Students could follow the journey of the Amistad group on a map.
Teaching Strategies:
Venn Diagrams    http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/venn_diagrams.pdf
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Ethnic Groups > African-American Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > leadership Government/Civics > judicial system > law/laws Hardships > persecution History > topic > war > Civil War > abolition Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism > race relations Social Studies > sociology > social issues > social action > activism Heroes and Heroines > ordinary people

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