The issue of treating slaves as property has been much addressed through the many acts in history as well as in Amistad. Slaves were often considered stock and most of them were ill-treated.
             The film started off with a slave trying to escape by removing his nailed finger from the ground. He and the other slaves on the ship were also bound by heavy chains which had sharp hooks on them designed to inflict pain should there be a need to. This first scene already shows us how slaves were being treated as property. Everybody prefers to keep their property safe, to prevent any possibilityof them getting lost. In the same way, the slaves onboard the Amsitad were chained and restrained from movement.
             When the case of Amistad was brought to court, one of the Spanish men used receipts as evidence to back the case as well as claim the slaves. This act is a parallel to that of losing an item and claiming it back with proof of a receipt of purchase today. When one purchases property, a receipt is given, and is proof of one's ownership. Similarly, the slaves had been bought and were thought of as property even in the context of a court case.
             "Slaves shall always be reputed and considered real estate; shall, as such, be subject to be mortgaged, according to the rules prescribed by law, and they shall be seized and sold as real estate." (Statute of June 7, 1806; 1 Martin's Digest, 612.). This is evidence that slaves were being treated as property. There were even laws that were passed, and rules for slave auctioning. The simple act of selling slave auctions already labels them as property as one can acquire them so long one has the money.
             From the buying and selling, we can also say that slaves were very much treated as property as they all have values in order to be sold and bought. Stocks and property are ranged at various prices depending on quality. Similarly, slaves have values as some may be worth more tha
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