In 1839 Joseph Cinque led a group of Africans in overthrowing the crew of the slave ship "La Amistad." — New Haven Colony Historical Society/ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Amistad slave ship rebellion is one of the most famous events in the history of American slavery. (You might have seen Amistad, Steven Spielberg's 1997 movie about it.)

In The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, author and historian Marcus Rediker sheds new light on the episode, recounting the history of the men who successfully mutinied against the Amistad captain. Rediker uses new research and evidence to tell the Amistad story in a new way, and he follows the men through their imprisonment in a Connecticut jail and their Supreme Court trial, where they were represented by former U.S. President John Quincy Adams. 

Listen to an interview with the author, above.