Photo, above: La Amistad (Spanish for "friendship") was a Nineteenth-Century two-masted schooner built in Spain and owned by a Spaniard living in Cuba. While it was transporting Mende captives originally kidnapped in Sierra Leone from Havana, Cuba, in July 1839, the Africans took control of the ship. La Amistad was captured off the coast of Long Island by the brig USS Washington. The Mende and La Amistad were interned while court proceedings were undertaken for their disposition. The case, United States v. The Amistad (1841) was finally decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in favor of the Mende, restoring their freedom. It became a symbol in the movement to abolish slavery.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Hour One

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block A: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom by Marcus Rediker (1 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block B: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom by Marcus Rediker (2 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block C: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom by Marcus Rediker (3 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block D: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom by Marcus Rediker (4 of 4)

Hour Two

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block A: We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861 by William J. Cooper  (1 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block B: We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861 by William J. Cooper  (2 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block C: We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861 by William J. Cooper  (3 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block D: We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861 by William J. Cooper  (4 of 4)

Hour Three

Engraving, below:  Hurly-burly pot  Politics of war before 1860 - ugly politics in our recent past

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block A: A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War by Thomas Fleming (1 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block B: A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War by Thomas Fleming (2 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block C: A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War by Thomas Fleming (3 of 4)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block D: A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War by Thomas Fleming (4 of 4)

Hour Four

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block A: 1861: The Civil War Awakening (Vintage) by Adam Goodheart (1 of 2)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block B: 1861: The Civil War Awakening (Vintage) by Adam Goodheart (2 of 2)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block C: Mightier than the Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle for America by David S. Reynolds (1 of 2)

Saturday 5 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block D: Mightier than the Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle for America by David S. Reynolds (1 of 2)