Olaudah Equiano And The Abolitionist Movement

Equiano’s awareness of his situation helps him find a way to buy his own freedom and become his own man. He no longer belonged to anyone else. After he managed to free himself, he worked the rest of his life in attempts to abolish slavery. The entire intention of his book was to convince people that slavery was wrong and tried to help them realize how horrible it was being treated like farm animals. However, the book also spends a large amount of emphasis on Equiano’s religion.

The first time African slaves set foot on Virginian soil in 1619 marked the beginning of a very gruesome and violent period in American history. Spanning nearly two centuries, over half a million slaves were transported straight to the Colonies, a staggering number that only makes up a minute percentage out of the overall amount of Africans imported to the rest of the Americas. From this dark era arose black intellectuals, such as Frederick Douglass, who dedicated their lives by either speaking or writing on the topic of abolitionism. Case in point, seven years after Douglass made his successful escape into the North, the young abolitionist published his own first-hand account, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in which he reveals

“Pontiac, Two Speeches,” one speech is from 1762 and the other from 1763 by Pontiac

Throughout the narrative Olaudah Equiano’s point of view on the white slave traders changes. In the beginning Equiano states “but still i feared I should be put down, the white people looked and acted, as I thought, in a so savage a manner;” (73). Through this quote, Olaudah Equiano shows how he feels towards the slave traders. He explains that he is in fear and confused by both their looks and actions. Olaudah Equiano was still new to the slave trade as he stated his quote. Throughout the narrative Olaudah Equiano creates an intense, nervous mood and tone yet he still incorporates his sense of

Olaudah Equiano’s journey, although seemingly terrible, may have changed his life for the better. He is sold as a slave at a young age, and remains a slave for several years, until he is able to purchasing his freedom. His experiences shape him into the man he is, and give him credibility when speaking about slavery.

Douglass wrote his narrative in the in which he did, to show all the reality of slavery. At that time, people knew it existed and knew it was wrong, but could not fathom the extent of its horrors, and Douglass’ narrative offers them a picture of the real circumstances of slavery. I also believe that there was a large intent by Douglass to publish his narrative to promote the abolition of slavery. By giving people the chance to see what slavery actually entails, it opens

Religion can be viewed as a key factor in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. It played a substantial role throughout Equiano’s life, especially during his slave years, as presented through the writings of his experiences. More specifically, one can argue that his religious conversion to Christianity meant a type of liberty equally significant as his own freedom from slavery.

Olaudah Equiano had a first glance of slavery when saw a ship on the coast of a sea. The first thing that entered his mind was fear of being eaten by these scary white men. When he got on the ship he was observed by British men, and right away he felt the bad spirits. He knew they were very different from his African people with long hair, lighter skin, and different languages. When he looked around the ship all he seen was a very large furnace with copper boiling, also with many other blacks chained together. Everyone he saw around him was very sad and scared, so he knew it wasn’t going to end good. Then he got a motionless feeling and fainted. When he woke up, it was nothing but blacks surrounding him; they started talking to him to make

In 1745, Olaudah Equiano was born in Eboe, which is now Nigeria. When he was about eleven years old, he was kidnapped and sold to slave traders heading to the West Indies. Though he spent a short time in the state of Virginia, much of his time in slavery was spent serving the captains of slave ships and British navy vessels. One of his masters, Henry Pascal, the captain of a British trading vessel, gave him the name Gustavas Vassa, which he hardly used throughout his life. Paul Lovejoy, Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History stated:

completely eliminated. Douglass’s purpose in his autobiography, N​arrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,​is to help people understand the plight of the slaves. He adopts many different tones and volumes throughout the novel in order to get his point across on how the slaves are treated. Within the novel he uses ethos, pathos, and logos in order for the readers to understand why slavery should be eliminated. He uses several dichotomy’s to describe the differences in slave owners, plantations, the conditions and the food situations within the plantations, and his knowledge before he was educated and after he was educated.

(quizlet.com). Olaudah-Equiano’s previous master treated him with respect and really took care of him, however once he was a slave of the European’s he and all of the other slaves were treated inhumanely. Once Equiano enters this environment, he was immediately terrified because he was not use to the form of treatment he was receiving. In addition, Equiano thought of jumping off the ship, but the slaveholders watched him and others too closely for him to even make an attempt. In that, there are many components that exemplify that Frederick Douglass and Olaudah Equiano were victims of racism that led up to depression.

The reading was horrifying and devastating to read this week. Olaudoh Equiano’s narrative and account of his life and capture, and slavery, was upsetting and horrible to learn about and to read – which, clearly, is the point. I feel badly for him, and feel badly that his life with his family, his mother, his sisters, and his brothers, was stolen from him, and that he was forcibly kidnapped for no fault of his own, but merely to be used as bodily labor and a slave, and shipped in Hellish conditions in the Americas. The slave owners there clearly realized that the slaves that came in were horrified, confused, and unsure whether they would even be allowed to live, or what was to be expected from them, which is why they sent out slaves to speak

Frederick Douglass, in the Narrative of the Life Frederick Douglass recounts experiences in his life shining a light upon the cruel, inhumanities he undergoes as a slave. He points to the nature of slavery and the tenacious will of man to obtain freedom. Spotlighting his evolution as slave and as man, from slave to master. His life from birth and until freedom was constant struggle of the mind, the body, and the spirit. All through Douglass' narrative he relentlessly appeals to the conscience and empathy of human nature supporting William Andrew' claim that the narrative's purpose is "to enlighten white readers about both the realities of slavery as an institution and the humanity of black people as individuals deserving of full human rights."

Equiano Olaudah a slave from Eboe who became an important figure in the history of slavery, was kidnapped at the age of 11/12 years of age along with his sister from their hometown in the village of Essaka (Benin), a state which is now located in the southern region of Nigeria, West Africa. Born in 1745, in an isolated, but a rich kingdom called Eboe, Olaudah Equiano, commonly known as Gustavus Vassa was born. The youngest boy of seven children, he was a favorite of his mother. His narrative has not only played an important role in the history of slavery, but has also made evident some of the harsh treatment that slaves had faced. He had not only spent more time with his mother, but she also decorated him with insignias worn by some of

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olandah Equiano provides a view of Africa and the rest of the world from the perspective of either an African taken into slavery early in his life or a slave of African descent born in the British colonies. Olandah Equiano’s narrative reveals more about the African Diaspora than it does African history itself, particularly with his birthplace called into question. If he was born in Africa as he claims, Equiano’s narrative provides a primary source for the history of the slave trade in Africa and Nigerian history. If he was born in South Carolina, his narrative provides a secondary source for these areas. In either case, Equiano’s narrative accurately reveals the horrors of the Atlantic Slave