Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels

GHOSTS OF AMISTAD: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE REBELS is based on Marcus Rediker's 2012 book The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom The documentary chronicles a trip made by academics and historians to Sierra Leone in May of 2013 as they retrace the path of the 53 Africans who rebelled against their captors and seized the slave schooner Amistad in 1839, leading to a watershed US Supreme Court decision. Their goal: to visit the 10 villages where the Amistad rebels once lived; interview the elders about their history and how the incident is remembered; and search for the long-lost ruins of Lomboko, the slave trading factory where the Amistad Africans were incarcerated and loaded onto a slave ship bound for the New World. By interviewing local villagers, fishermen and truck drivers, and accessing their oral accounts, GHOSTS OF AMISTAD: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE REBELS aims to recover the lost history of the Amistad insurrection, told from a seldom-voiced perspective in the historical struggle against slavery. The documentary chronicles a trip made by academics and historians to Sierra Leone in May of 2013 as they retrace the path of the 53 Africans who rebelled against their captors and seized the slave schooner Amistad in 1839, leading to a watershed US Supreme Court decision. Their goal: to visit the 10 villages where the Amistad rebels once lived; interview the elders about their history and how the incident is remembered, and search for the long-lost ruins of Lomboko the slave trading factory where the Amistad Africans were incarcerated and loaded onto a slave ship bound for the New World. By interviewing local villagers, fishermen and truck drivers, and accessing their oral accounts, GHOSTS OF AMISTAD: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE REBELS aims to recover the lost history of the Amistad insurrection, told from a seldom-voiced perspective in the historical struggle against slavery.

Duration: 56 minutes and 30 seconds


Watch Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels - Clips, Episodes & Previews




NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

Explore - 11.2

World - 11.3

Create - 11.4

Kids - 11.5

All of our channels and NHK World Japan are streaming LIVE ONLINE and on the PBS App, available on most devices.

Learn More


 

Community Impact

NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

Bring Them Home | Bring Them Home - ASL
The Forsytes | Episode 1
History with David Rubenstein | Ben Steil
The Making of The American Revolution | The Making of The American Revolution
The Count of Monte Cristo | Episode 1: The Letter
Nature | The Greatest Adventure | Parenthood
Finding Your Roots | Artistic Roots
Antiques Roadshow | Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 2
American Masters | Sun Ra: Do The Impossible [EAD]
Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History |
NOVA | Mammal Origins
Austin City Limits | Leon Thomas
Secrets of the Dead | The Quest for Camelot
Safe Harbors: Lighthouses of Maine | Safe Harbors: Lighthouses of Maine
Raise Your Head Up: Freedom Colonies in America | Raise Your Head Up: Freedom Colonies in America
A Fuller Education | A Fuller Education
North to New York: The Great Migration in NY's Capital Region | North to New York: The Great Migration in NY's Capital Region
Bigger than Africa | Bigger Than Africa
The Puzzle Lady | Episode 1
All Creatures Great and Small | Episode 1: Gathering the Flock
American Experience | Bombshell
From That Small Island: The Story of the Irish | New Worlds
London's New Year's Day Parade | The London Parade 2026
Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026 | Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026
Bookish | Slightly Foxed, Part 1
Happiness | Episode 1
Great Performances | Nutcracker from English National Ballet
Miss Scarlet | Episode 3: The Delivery
POV | Between Goodbyes
Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir | Hope of the Season: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir