Middle Passage Olaudah Equiano

The life and actions of Olaudah Equiano made him a crusader for the abolishment of slavery. From his strong testimony from the Middle Passage to the purchase of his own freedom, Equiano’s entire life is a protestation against slavery. Equiano wrote his narrative as an argument for the abolition of slavery, using his personal experiences to back his ideas.
Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745, in a province of Africa called Eboe. Equiano began his narrative with several letters from influential people proclaiming his character and accuracy. As Equiano began to describe his life, primarily from memory, he began with the customs and culture of his home town. His village was led by elders, including his father, who served as judges in their …show more content…
The Middle Passage was a triangular trade route between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Goods from Europe would be taken to Africa to be sold or traded for kidnapped Africans. These kidnapped Africans would then be taken to the Americas or the Caribbean in cramped ships with appalling conditions. Equiano was not allowed much time to morn when he was loaded but rather quickly taken below deck where the stench was so horrid that he became ill and could not eat. The men on the ship flogged Equiano severely for not eating, which was also the fate of many other Africans. Many of the Africans tried to escape by jumping overboard but were severely cut for trying to do so. Equiano was shocked and appalled by the brutality of the white men. Equiano was fearful of the sea and the white men because they seem mystical and unexplainable to him. He also wrote about the small amount of comfort he found in the company of those who spoke the same language. Equiano’s account of the Middle Passage was the basis of his argument against slavery. The slave trade especially in the Middle Passage was unreasonably brutal. This brutality was extremely unnecessary in the eyes of Equiano, which led him to rebuke the practice of …show more content…
Nevertheless, he never abandoned his African roots. He knew about the culture of his people to the best of his ability and presented them as noble, reasonable, virtuous, and courageous. The religion of his people is very relatable to that of the Jews and Europeans. Equiano’s people, like the Europeans, did participate in slavery, but unlike the Europeans they only took those who have broken the law and prisoners of war. Equiano wrote this narrative in order to stop slavery not only in his village but all over the world. He showed a great deal of pride not only in his people but in Africa as a whole.
Equiano’s liberation was of grand importance to him. The element that is mainly responsible for Equiano’s freedom is sailing. Sailing gave Equiano a way to distinguish himself from the common slave. The skills he was able to acquire and the money he was able to make from those skills are responsible for his freedom. Another skill that was of immense importance to his liberation was the ability to read and write. Equiano was fascinated by book and was able to learn to read and write. His ability to write enabled him to write this narrative to spread his ideas of the abolishment of

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