Although there have been lots of fun events planned throughout the day, historians don't want people to forget that Amistad's meaning and story are very important.

Among the festivities was a panel discussion on the impact the schooner's history has had on Connecticut and the nation as a whole. 

"What it's become is this great symbol of how we can recreate a piece of the past in our own present and explain whole worlds that are no longer ours, but the worlds that made our world," said one unidentified panel participant.

At one discussion there was also a screening of a documentary about the history of Amistad.

Although onboard tours of the ship stopped at 4 p.m., visitors have continued to stop by in order to get a far-away look at the Freedom Schooner.