Logic Paper On Enslaved Captive By Olaudah Equiano Essay Sample

Purpose

In 1789 the autobiographical book The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African was published by a former slave. The book reveals the horrors of slavery he witnessed. This book has played a significant role in the abolitionism movement in Britain. In the extract of the book presented Equiano describes how he was captured and enslaved by African slave-traders and eventually sold to European slavers that carried him to the continent. The author of the article mentions that recent research proved Equiano wasn’t originally born in Africa and his book is a fiction based on the overheard stories. However, the former slave paints a just picture of the inhumane and savage attitude towards slaves, which made a strong impression on the British society at the end of eighteenth century.

Main point of view (MPOV)

Olaudah Equiano
Primary source
Born in 1745 and died in 1797
Male POV
Former slave who purchased his freedom
African
Abolitionist
Merchant, sailor and traveler
Possibly originally born not in Africa but in South Carolina
Married
Well-educated by his masters
Christian
The first slave to publish the book about his experience
Another point of view (APOV)
Royal African Company
Secondary source
British company with monopoly on slaves capture on African continent in 1672-1698
Transportation of slaves to Britain and British colonies in America
Responded to the demand in labor of the agricultural sector
The first official British royal slave trade company
The ships benefited to the owners in 20-50% profits
The Royal African Company encouraged the development of bank loans
In 1698 the monopoly was taken away from London port and the Royal African Company was dissolved
Joseph Sturge
Primary source

Cofounder of British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society

Male POV

Born in 1793 and died in 1859

Lived in Birmingham
English abolitionist, Quaker and activist
Pacifist
He radically opposed to British government publicly revealing facts of government brutality
Promoted the abolition of slavery in America and Jamaica
British Empire
Primary source

Exported four times mores slaves than any other country

Dominance in Transatlantic transportation by water
British merchants performed more than 10,000 voyages to African continent to capture slaves
The British government provided no rights or legal status to slaves
Abolished slave trade in 1807 and slavery in 1833 under public pressure
Plantation owners
Primary sources
Used slaves to cultivate crops
Slave work was unpaid
Made profits from the production outcome of the plantations
Supported slavery
Wealthy planters and merchants created Pro-Slavery Lobby to support their interests
Argued the slavery is necessary for economic growth
Tried to control every aspect of slaves’ lives in order to avoid rebels
Considered African slaves were unfit for other work
The port owners
Secondary sources
The major ports that provided services to slave traders were situated in Bristol, Liverpool and London
Made profits on cargo dispatch and other fees paid by slave traders
Provided workplaces and stimulated the growth of port towns such as Liverpool
Encouraged trade in Europe and the New World
West African leaders
Secondary sources

The slavery was common in Africa

About one-third of the population of West Africa was enslaved in the period of roughly between 1300 and 1900.
Such African empires as Yoruba, Kong Empire, Kingdom of Benin, Imamate of Futa Jallon and others benefited from slave trade with Europeans

In his book Equiano describes how children were captured by African slave traders while their parents were absent

Exchanged slaves for crops and textile
Capitalists
Secondary sources
Eric Williams in his book Capitalism and Slavery states that slavery performed “historical shift of Britain’s political economy from monopolistic commercial mercantilism based on tropical, Caribbean islands with black-plantation slavery to laissez faire commercial capitalism based on white free-labor factories in temperate, Continental regions”.

Capitalists tried not to support abolitionism openly as they had tight economic relations with plantation owners

The capital accumulated by the contributions of slavery has financed the industrial revolution in England
The capitalists owned factories with high-skilled labor requirements which could not be managed by slaves
Key questions
Who is Olaudah Equiano?
Where does Equiano originally come from?
What slavery traditions prevailed in Equiano’s homeland?
What emotional experience did Equiano suffer being captured?
What’s Equiano’s opinion on the regions of Africa he was taken to?
What were the author’s first impressions of the slave traders’ ship?
What feelings did the author experience towards captured countrymen on the ship?
What suffering were the slaves imposed on the ship?
How Equiano compares being a slave in Africa and being a slave of European people?
What were the author’s future expectations?
What were the Equiano’s thoughts on death?
Key points
Olaudah Equiano was born in one of African regions and was the youngest son in the family.
Oladuah Equiano and his sister were captured by African slave traders when he was eleven and soon separated.
Equiano was sold to a chieftain of “a very pleasant country” and soon resold to a wealthy widow and her young son in a town called Tinmah. The family treated Equiano very good.

After two month of happy life he was captured once again by African slave traders.

Being enslaved again he has travelled around the continent for six months.
Eventually Olaudah was brought to the sea coast where he saw a slave ship with white people for the first time.

He fainted on the deck overwhelmed with terror and anguish.

Equiano describes savage attitude towards slaves on the ship.
Equiano stresses that he considered most of the technology he saw on the ship to be magic.
Many African slaves have not survived the voyage due to diseases, torture, stench and starvation.
The crew of the ship imposed cruel suffering on slaves on purpose.
The slaves were eventually delivered to Barbados Island and transferred in the merchant’s custody for further resale.
Equiano appeals to the moral side of Christians revealing the terrors of slavery.
Conclusion