Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745 – 31 March 1797), also known as Gustavus Vassa, was one of the most prominent people of African heritage involved in the British debate for the abolition of the slave trade. He wrote an autobiography that depicted the horrors of slavery and helped influence British lawmakers to abolish the slave trade in 1807. In addition to being a slave as a young man, he was also a slaver, seaman, merchant, and explorer in South America, the Caribbean, the American colonies, and Britain. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (455x700, 49 KB)Olaudah Equiano - Project Gutenberg eText 15399. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (455x700, 49 KB)Olaudah Equiano - Project Gutenberg eText 15399. ... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... // Events May 11 - War of Austrian Succession: Battle of Fontenoy - At Fontenoy, French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army including the Black Watch June 4 – Frederick the Great destroys Austrian army at Hohenfriedberg August 19 - Beginning of the 45 Jacobite Rising at Glenfinnan September 12 - Francis I is elected... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ...

Biography

[[===Early life and slavery===

By his own account, Olaudah Equiano's early life began in the region of "Essaka" (in his spelling) near the River Niger, an Igbo-speaking region of Nigeria Part of the Empire of Abyssinia. The government is broken down into smaller parts similar to provinces or states for more local rule which his father was a part.His father was an important elder in the village, who helped settle disputes. Equiano's people were simple tribesmen with few wants. At an early age, he was kidnapped by kinsmen and forced into domestic slavery in another native village in a region where the African chieftain hierarchy was tied to slavery. This was the first time he had ever seen white men showing how isolated they were from the rest of the world.^[1][2] Igbo is a language spoken in Nigeria by around 18 million people (1999 WA), the Igbo, especially in the southeastern region once identified as Biafra. ... Slave redirects here. ...

Equiano lived with six bothers and sisters and was part of a large family. He was the youngest son with one younger sister. At the age of eleven, Equiano and his sister were kidnapped by fellow Africans and sold to various slave owners throughout Africa. Equiano was sold to white slave traders and taken to the New World, specifically Barbados. Equiano changed hands a few times before being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean.He was not purchased because of his small size; the work on a sugar plantation required strong people. He was then sent to Virginia. While in Virgina, Equiano made observations regarding the treatment of fellow slaves inside the house. One such cruelty discussed was the use of an "iron muzzle" used around the mouth to keep house slaves quiet leaving them barely able to speak or eat. The objects inside the house amazed and frightened Equiano. He thought the pictures hanging on the wall followed him wherever he went, and a clock hanging from the chimney would tell his master about anything Equiano would do wrong. On arrival, he was bought by Michael Pascal, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Renaming being a common practice among slave owners, Pascal renamed him Gustavus Vassa one of his many new names he was given by his owners. (This is the Latinized form of the name of King Gustav I of Sweden, known for having liberated his country from Danish rule in the 16th Century.) Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ... A sugarcane plantation at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 2005 A plantation is a large tract of monoculture, as a tree plantation, a cotton plantation, a tea plantation or a tobacco plantation. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Etymology: The word object comes from the latin word objectum a noun form of objectus which in turn comes from objicere, which means to throw or put something before someone. ... The Arrival may refer to: The Arrival, a 1996 science fiction film starring Charlie Sheen The Arrival, an episode of The Twilight Zone Arrival, an episode of The Prisoner In music, the name Arrival refers to several albums from artists such as ABBA (who had a so-called title track... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Olaudah Equiano (c. ... Gustav I of Sweden, commonly known as Gustav Vasa, but originally known as Gustav Eriksson (May 12, 1496 – September 29, 1560) was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death. ...

Being the slave of a naval captain, Captian Pascal, Equiano was afforded naval training and was able to travel extensively. This was during the Seven Years War with France. Equiano was Pascal's personal servant but was also expected to contribute in times of battle; his duty was to haul gunpowder to the gun decks. As one of his favorite servants Equiano was sent to Ms. Guerin, Pascal's sister, to attend school and learn to read in England. At this time the other servants warned Equiano that if he wasn't baptized he wouldn't be able to go to Heaven. Eventually his master allowed him to be baptized in St. Margaret's church, Westminster, in February 1759. Despite the special treatment, after the war was won Equiano didn't receive his share of the prize money awarded to the other sailors, along with his freedom, even though he thought he deserved it. It was on these journeys that Equiano was taught how to read and write from various sources. This article is about the 1756–1763 war. ... Sister may refer to: a female sibling a member of a sorority a female member of a religious institution or congregation, often referred to as a nun in common language a female member of a mutual organisation such as a trade union one of a pair or larger group of...

Later, Olaudah Equiano was sold on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean Leeward Islands. Equiano's literacy and seamanship skills made him too valuable for plantation labour. It also made him less desirible to some slave traders. Equiano was to well educated for some and the fact that he knew how to navigate a ship scared many way from him. He was acquired by Robert King, a Quaker merchant from Philadelphia who traded in the Caribbean. King set Equiano to work on his shipping routes and in his stores, promising him in 1765, that for forty pounds, the price King had paid for Equiano, he could buy his freedom. King taught him to read and write more fluently, educated him in the Christian faith, and allowed Equiano to engage in his own profitable trading as well as on his master's behalf, enabling Equiano to come by the forty pounds honestly. In his early twenties, Equiano succeeded in buying his freedom. The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ...

King urged Equiano to stay on as a business partner, but Equiano found it dangerous and limiting to remain in the British American colonies as a freed black. While loading a ship in Georgia, he was almost kidnapped back into slavery. He was released when the level of his education was made apparent. Equiano returned to England, where after Somersett's Case of 1772 (although the details are unclear when analyzed by lawyers) it was generally believed than no person could be a slave in England itself.]] James Somersett or Somerset was a slave who was brought by his owner from Virginia to England. ...

Pioneer of the abolitionist cause

After several years of travels and trading, Equiano traveled to London and became involved in the abolitionist movement. The movement had been particularly strong amongst Quakers, but was by now non-denominational. Equiano himself was broadly Methodist, having been influenced by George Whitefield's evangelism in the New World. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This English poster depicting the horrific conditions on slave ships was influential in mobilizing public opinion against slavery. ... George Whitefield (December 16, 1714 - September 30, 1770), was a minister in the Church of England and one of the leaders of the Methodist movement. ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Front page of Equiano's autobiography

Equiano proved to be a popular speaker and was introduced to many senior and influential people, who encouraged him to write and publish his life story. Equiano was supported financially by philanthropic abolitionists and religious benefactors; his lectures and preparation for the book were promoted by, among others, Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon. His account surprised many with the quality of its imagery and description, literary style, as well as its narrative which was profoundly shaming towards those who had not joined the abolitionist cause. Entitled The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, it was first published in 1789 and rapidly went through several editions. It is one of the earliest known examples of published writing by an African writer. It was the first influential slave autobiography, and its first-hand account of slavery and of the experiences of an 18th-century black immigrant caused a sensation when published in 1789, fuelling a growing anti-slavery movement in England. Image File history File links The_interresting_narrative_of_the_life_of_Olaudah_Equiano. ... Image File history File links The_interresting_narrative_of_the_life_of_Olaudah_Equiano. ... This article is about the abolition of slavery. ... Selina, Countess of Huntingdon For other people with the same given name, see Selina. ... The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, written in 1788, is an autobiography written by Equiano about his time spent under Spanish slavery serving primarily on galleys. ... Year 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Year 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Equiano's narrative begins in the West African village where he was kidnapped into slavery in 1756. He vividly recalls the pestilence and horror of the Middle Passage: "I now wished for the last friend, Death, to relieve me." As described in his book, the young Equiano was eventually shipped to a Virginia plantation where he witnessed slaves tortured with thumbscrews and the iron muzzle. Slavery, he explained, brutalizes everyone - the slaves, their overseers, plantation wives, and the whole of society. 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Middle Passage refers to the forced transportation of African people from Africa to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade. ... Scottish thumbscrew Scottish thumbscrews This page is about the torture device. ...

The autobiography goes on to describe how Equiano's adventures brought him to London, where he married into English society and became a leading abolitionist. His exposé of the infamous slave-ship Zong - 133 slaves thrown overboard in mid-ocean for the insurance money - shook the nation. But it was Equiano's book that would prove his most lasting contribution to the abolitionist movement, a book which vividly demonstrated the humanity of Africans as much as the inhumanity of slavery. Zong is the name of a ship owned by James Gregson and was involved in the African Slave Trade of the eighteenth Century. ...

The book not only furthered the abolitionist cause while providing an exemplary work of English literature by a new, African author, but also made Equiano's fortune. It gave him independence from his benefactors and enabled him to fully chart his own life and purpose, and develop his interest in working to improve economic, social and educational conditions in Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone.

Equiano recalls his childhood in Essaka (an Igbo village formerly in northeast Nigeria), where he was adorned in the tradition of the "greatest warriors." He is unique in his recollection of traditional African life before the advent of the European slave trade. Equally significant is Equiano's life on the high seas, which included not only travels throughout the Americas, Turkey and the Mediterranean; but also participation in major naval battles during the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War), as well as in the search for a northwest passage led by the Phipps expedition of 1772-1773. Equiano also records his central role, along with Granville Sharpe, in the British Abolishionist Movement. As a major voice in this movement, Equiano petitioned the Queen of England in 1788. He was appointed to the expedition to settle London's poor Blacks in Sierra Leone, a British colony on the west coast of Africa. Sadly, he did not complete the journey back to his native land.

Family in Britain

At some point, after having traveled widely, Olaudah Equiano decided to settle in Britain and raise a family. Equiano is closely associated with Soham, Cambridgeshire, where, on the 7 April 1792, he married Susannah Cullen, a local girl, in St Andrew's Church. The original marriage register containing the entry for Equiano and Susannah is today held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office in Cambridge. He announced his wedding in every edition of his autobiography from 1792 onwards, and it has been suggested his marriage mirrored his anticipation of a commercial union between Africa and Great Britain. The couple settled in the area and had two daughters, Anna Maria , born October 16, 1793, and Joanna, born April 11, 1795. For the Sanskrit word Soham Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies Service (CALS) is a UK local government institution which collects and preserves archives, other historical documents and printed material relating to the modern county of Cambridgeshire, which includes the former counties of Huntingdonshire and the Isle of Ely. ... This article is about the city in England. ... is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Joanna Vassa (1795-1857) was the only surviving descendant of author, Methodist and leading Anti-Slavery campaigner Equiano the African. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Susannah died in February 1796 aged 34, and Equiano died a year after that on 31 March 1797, aged approximately 52. Soon after, the elder daughter died, aged four years old, leaving Joanna to inherit Equiano's estate, which was valued at £950: a considerable sum, worth approximately £100,000 today. Joanna married the Rev. Henry Bromley, and they ran a Congregational Chapel at Clavering near Saffron Walden in Essex, before moving to London in the middle of the nineteenth century. They are both buried at the Congregationalists' non-denominational Abney Park Cemetery, in Stoke Newington. Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Joanna Vassa (1795-1857) was the only surviving descendant of author, Methodist and leading Anti-Slavery campaigner Equiano the African. ... Clavering is a village in north-west Essex in England. ... Saffron Walden is a small market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... A non-denominational church (usually Christian) is a religious organization which does not necessarily align its mission and teachings to an established denomination. ... Abney Park Cemetery—every turn of the path reveals a new and unique landscape (September 2005). ... , Note: For an area with a similar name, see Newington, in the London Borough of Southwark. ...

Last days and will

Although Equiano's death is recorded in London, 1797, the location of his burial is unknown. One of his last London addresses appears to have been Plaisterer's Hall in the City of London (where he drew up his will on 28 May 1796). May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Having drawn up his will, Olaudah Equiano moved to John Street, Tottenham Court Road, close to Whitefield's Methodist chapel (rebuilt for the Congregationalists in the 1950s and now the American Church in London, where there is a small, recent memorial); and lastly Paddington Street, Middlesex where he died. His death was reported in newspaper obituaries at the time, but seems not to have been widely known. He may have moved frequently and left an unclear trail to his burial place out of concerns for his safety and a desire to rest in peace. Factions of the political elite sought to suppress reformers and those linked to them in the 1790s, the time of the French Revolution and close on the heels of the American Revolution. Equiano had been an active member of the London Corresponding Society that campaigned to extend the vote to working men, and had seen his close friend Thomas Hardy, the Society's Secretary, prosecuted by the government (though without success) on the basis that this amounted to treason. In December 1797, unaware that Equiano had died nine months earlier, the government-sponsored Anti-Jacobin, or Weekly Examiner presumed him to still be alive, for it satirised him at a fictional meeting of the Friends of Freedom. Whitefields Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road, a church in London, England; also called Tottenham Court Road Chapel, was built in 1756 for George Whitefield. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen... London Corresponding Society; a moderate-radical body concentrating on parliamentary reform in the 1790s. ...

Olaudah Equiano's will demonstrates the sincerity of his religious and social beliefs. Had his daughter Joanna died before reaching the age of inheritance (twenty-one), half his wealth would have passed to the Sierra Leone Company for the continued provision of assistance to West Africans, and half to the London Missionary Society, which promoted education overseas. This organisation had been formed the previous November at the Countess of Huntingdon's Spa Fields Chapel. By the early nineteenth century, The Missionary Society had become well known worldwide as non-denominational, though it was largely Congregational. The Sierra Leone Company was the organisation involved in founding the first British colony in Africa in 1792 through the resettlement of Black Loyalist African Americans, mostly ex-slaves who had initially been settled in Nova Scotia after the American Revolutionary War. ... The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa. ... Selina, Countess of Huntingdon For other people with the same given name, see Selina. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ...

Modern views

Controversy of origin

Vincent Carretta, a professor of literature and author of Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man (2005), points out that a major problem facing any biographer is how to deal with Equiano's account of his origins. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As Carretta explains:

Equiano was certainly African by descent. The circumstantial evidence that Equiano was also African American by birth and African British by choice is compelling but not absolutely conclusive. Although the circumstantial evidence is not equivalent to proof, anyone dealing with Equiano's life and art must consider it.

Carretta has found baptismal records and a naval muster roll linking Equiano to South Carolina, but others have pointed out that Professor Carretta's quibbles with Equiano's own account may have less to do with scholarship than with sensationalism^{[citation needed]} since it fails to consider a very probable circumstance, which is that the 12-year old Equiano who spoke little or no English at the time of his baptism, most certainly was not consulted when the place of his birth was entered on the baptismal certificate, and that his guardians, being aware that he was bought in the Americas, provided what information they assumed to be probable.^{[citation needed]}

Other academics have claimed an oral history record of his upbringing in a Nigerian town known as Isseke, principally based on Catherine Obianuju Acholonu's study: The Igbo Roots Of Olaudah Equiano: An Anthropological Research (1989). Prior to Dr. Acholonu's book there was no town bearing a name of that spelling. Acholonu's claims have been soundly dismissed by others, including Nigerian scholars who have pointed out grave errors in her research. For instance, Acholonu claims in her book to have interviewed living respondents in the 1980s who remembered growing up with Equiano before his capture in the mid-18th century.^{[citation needed]} Obianuju Catherine Acholonu born 26 Oct 1951 Orlu, Nigeria attended secondary schools in Orlu before gaining a masters degree and a Ph. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

A more recent paper (June 2005) that favours Olaudah Equiano's own account of his African birth, is the Canadian academic study by Paul Lovejoy, Autobiography and Memory: Gustavus Vassa, alias Olaudah Equiano, the African.

Historians have never discredited the accuracy of Equiano's narrative, nor the power it had to support the abolitionist cause, particularly in Britain during the 1790s. However, parts of Equiano's account of the Middle Passage may have been based on already published accounts or the experiences of those he knew. The Middle Passage refers to the forced transportation of African people from Africa to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade. ...

Portrayal in mass media

A BBC production in 2005 employed dramatic reconstruction, archival material and interviews with scholars such as Stuart Hall and Ian Duffield to provide the social and economic context of the 18th century slave trade. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Equiano was portrayed by the Senegalese singer and musician Youssou N'Dour in the 2007 film Amazing Grace. Youssou NDour Youssou NDour (born October 1, 1959 in Dakar) is a Senegalese singer. ... Amazing Grace is a 2007 film directed by Michael Apted about the anti-slavery movement in 19th Century England led by the famous abolitionist William Wilberforce. ...

African Snow, a play by Murray Watts, takes place in John Newton's mind. It was first produced at the York Theatre Royal as a co-production with Riding Lights Theatre Company in April 2007 before transferring to the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End and a National Tour. Newton was played by Roger Alborough and Equiano by Israel Oyelumade. John Newton John Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807) was an an Anglican clergyman who had, at one time, been a slaveship master. ... The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. ... Riding Lights is a British independent theatre company who have been touring shows nationally and internationally since 1977. ... Trafalgar Studios is a West End theatre in Whitehall in the City of Westminster. ... Roger Alborough: British actor (50s), experienced in thought provoking drama, comedy and West End musicals. ...

In 2007, Stone Publishing House published a book aimed at schoolchildren entitled Equiano: the slave with the loud voice. Illustrated by Cheryl Ives, it was written by Kent historian Dr Robert Hume, who had previously authored books about Dr. Joseph Bell, Christopher Columbus and Perkin Warbeck.

References

External links

• Works by Olaudah Equiano at Project Gutenberg
• Audio recording of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano at LibriVox
• Olaudah Equiano at the BBC
• Africans in America - Olaudah Equiano at PBS
• Equiano at Parliament and the British Slave Trade 1600-1807
• Olaudah Equiano: Black Britain's Political Founding Father at 100 Great Black Britons

Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ... Librivox is a digital library of free public domain audio books, read by volunteers. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ...

Dramatic recreations

• African Snow Riding Lights Theatre Company. 2007 play featuring Equiano's story
• Amazing Grace official US website
• Amazing Grace official UK website
• A Son of Africa 1998 short film from California Newsreel

Riding Lights is a British independent theatre company who have been touring shows nationally and internationally since 1977. ...

Birthplace dispute

• Autobiography and Memory: Gustavus Vassa, alias Olaudah Equiano, the African Paul E. Lovejoy. May-October 2005.
• "Where Was Olaudah Equiano Born?" [1] Brycchan Carey's list of Africanist/Americanist positions. (accessed 11 June 2007)
• Unraveling the Narrative Jennifer Howard. The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 9, 2005.
• Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography Brycchan Carey. 13 December 2005.
• Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa at Soham On-Line; includes details of church records of Equiano's marriage and deaths in the family