OLAUDAH EQUIANOBiography

Early Life Olaudah was born in 1745 in Nigeria. Was kidnapped and sold to slave traders

at the age of 11. Was renamed Gustavus Vassa by his

owner, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy (Britain).

After many years with his owner, Olaudah was baptized as a Christian in Virginia.

Gaining His Freedom Purchased by Robert King in Philadelphia King taught Equiano to read and write

while working for King King promised Equiano his freedom for

his purchase price of 40 pounds.

Using his freedom for the better Equiano began to travel far and wide after he

bought his freedom, including trips to the North Pole, South America, and the Caribbean.

After traveling, Equiano returned to Britain where he settled and began to fight for the freedom of all people.

Fought for the freedom of slaves in Britain, with success in many cases to abolish slavery, such as the Sommerset case which upheld that slavery was not legal in England or Wales (but not the rest of Britain)

Controversy In 1999, a professor uncovered 2 documents

that suggested that Equiano was not born in Africa, but instead South Carolina.

While reading the narrative, think about this fact, and at the end think about whether or not this changes how you view the narrative?

Many people read a narrative like Equiano’s and grasp it as completely factual. However, if Equiano was born in South Carolina this changes the facts. This means that Equiano never boarded a slave trade ship, and along with that, never experienced the things he wrote about.