The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African

On March 21, 1788, Olaudah Equiano (aka Gustavus Vassa), a freed slave, petitioned King George III and Queen Charlotte, to free enslaved Africans. From the article:

"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African
Olaudah Equiano aka Gustavus Vassa ‘The Breaker of Chains’

Famous Black Civil Rights Activists and Politicians

by Rayvenn Shaleigha D’Clark

Olaudah Equiano was an African activist, journalist, explorer, writer, seamen merchant, abolitionist, and anti-slavery campaigner best known for his Influence over British abolitionists and his personal account of slavery in his best-selling autobiography – The Interesting Narrative of the Life Of Olaudah Equiano, published in 1789 – whose depiction of his experience in slavery and its human suffering served as one of the first testimonies in the abolition movement and ultimately in the enactment of the Slave Trade Act of 1807 which ended the transatlantic slave trade for Britain and its colonies.

‘I have often seen slaves […] put into scales and weighed; and then sold from three pence to six pence or nine pence a pound…’ taken fromThe Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African

“I hope to have the satisfaction of seeing the renovation of liberty and justice resting on the British government, to vindicate the honour of our common nature.” – p.232

“Hitherto I had thought only slavery dreadful; but the state of a free negro appeared to me now equally so at least, and in some respects even worse, for they live in constant alarm for their liberty; and even this is but nominal, for they are universally insulted and plundered without the possibility of redress; for such is the equity of the West Indian laws, that no free negro’s evidence will be admitted in their courts of justice.” – p.122

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Born – c 1745 exact date unknown, it is believed that Equiano was born in the Eboe province, in the area that is now southern Nigeria. Enslaved as a child, he was taken to the Caribbean and sold as a slave to many individuals, including a captain in the Royal Navy, and Quaker trader.

During this lifetime, Equiano converted to Christianity; suffered suicidal thoughts before he became a Protestant Christian and found peace in his faith. These beliefs became increasingly important in his life in which he used the Christian message of the Golden Rule – ‘do unto others, as you would have done to you’ – as a way to shape attitudes on slavery. Equiano knew that one of the most powerful arguments against slavery was his own life story.

In his book, Equiano describes how he was kidnapped at around the age of 11, sold by local slave traders and shipped across the Atlantic to Barbados and then Virginia where he was sold to a Royal Navy officer, Lieutenant Michael Pascal, who renamed him ‘Gustavus Vassa’ after the 16th-century Swedish king. Equiano then travelled the oceans with Pascal for eight years, during which time he was baptised and learned to read and write. Shortly after, he was again sold to a ship captain in London, who took him to Montserrat, where he was sold to the prominent merchant Robert King.

While working as a deckhand, valet and barber for King, Equiano earned money by trading on the side. In only three years, he made enough money to buy his own freedom in 1766, quickly becoming a prominent abolitionist in the British movement to end the Atlantic slave trade. Equiano then spent much of the next 20 years travelling the world, including trips to Turkey and the Arctic.

It was only 1786 in London, he became involved in the movement to abolish slavery. He was a prominent member of the ‘Sons of Africa‘, a group of 12 black men who campaigned for abolition. Soon after In 1789 he published his autobiography and began to travel widely promoting the book, which became immensely popular – and went through many editions – immensely helping the abolitionist cause as many people who read about the suffering of slaves were more inclined to support the abolitionist cause.

This made Equiano a wealthy man, enabling Equiano to live independently of philanthropic backers and he could devote more time to campaigning against slavery.

It is one of the earliest books published by a black African writer, quickly becoming a bestseller, translated into many languages.

Back in England, Equiano was befriended by many who supported the abolition of the slave trade. Equiano was able to give a first-hand testament about life as a slave, mostly at a large number of public meetings. Many were undoubtedly moved by the quality of writing and his ability to depict life as a former enslaved African. For example, Equiano wrote about the mistreatment of slaves on the Virginia plantations; his vivid descriptions of the various punishments and humiliations that slaves had to endure were the first published account of an autobiography of a slave.

The book begins with a petition addressed to Parliament and ended with his antislavery letter to the Queen, providing many poignant insights into into the mistreatment enslaved citizens. Of the many things, Equiano spoke about, he recognised that the position of free slaves was little better than slaves because of the dreadful treatment, black men received; so shocked by his experience that he tried to wash the colour out of his face in an attempt to escape his position as a slave.

Publication of his autobiography was aided by British abolitionists, including Hannah More, Josiah Wedgwood, and John Wesley, who were collecting evidence on the sufferings of slaves. In that book and in his later Miscellaneous Verses…(1789), he idealizes Africa and shows great pride in the African way of life, while attacking those Africans who trafficked in slavery.

As a whole, Equiano’s work shows both broad human compassion and realism.

Equiano is often regarded as the originator of the slave narrative because of his firsthand literary testimony against the slave trade. Despite the controversy regarding his birth, his book remains an essential work both for its picture of 18th-century Africa as a model of social harmony defiled by Western greed and for its eloquent argument against the barbarous slave trade.

Much of what Equiano describes in his extraordinary autobiography can be verified. For example, speaking of the Virginia overseers:

“These overseers are indeed for the most part persons of the worst character of any denomination of men in the West Indies. Unfortunately, many humane gentlemen, by not residing on their estates, are obliged to leave the management of them in the hands of these human butchers, who cut and mangle the slaves in a shocking manner on the most trifling occasions, and altogether treat them in every respect like brutes.” – p.105 ‘

The book made Equiano a prominent figure in literary circles and by 1788 Equiano was personally able to petition the king for the end of slavery. The book also helped to demystify many of the current misconceptions about African people – this personal account and personality of Equiano was very influential in displaying the obvious humanity of black Africans.

Among his anti-slavery stance, he also:

1. Served as a leader for the poor black community of London: aiding freed slaves and their descendants but struggled to survive economically
2. Campaigned for the extension of the vote to working men
3. Active member of the Corresponding Society
4. Supporter the London Missionary society: a Christian organisation committed to spreading education and Christianity overseas.

Equiano died in March 1797, although The Slave Trade in Britain was not to end until nearly a decade later. It would be forty years before slavery itself was abolished in the British Colonies

Although there remains controversy about the exact birthplace of Equiano – some historians argue that he may have been born in North America rather than Africa – there is no doubt that Equiano played a pivotal figure in the anti-slavery movement. His writing and speeches helped show people that there was a strong sense of shared humanity."

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