In the movie Amistad, who wishes to claim the captured Africans as their own?

Answer 1

The Spanish and the Americans

The two spanish crewmen that survived (along with the Queen of Spain) claim that they are the property of Spain.

The two American Officers attempt to lay claim to them under salvage rights, since they captured the Amistad in international waters, it was believed by the defense team (Morgan Freeman and Mathew McConahey's characters) that the officers were planning to sell them back to the Spanish to turn a profit.