Olaudah Equiano

From ArticleWorld

Olaudah Equiano was an American slave and wrote his life story in The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African in 1789.

Biography

According to his narrative, Equiano was born in the small village of Essaka, which is now a part of Nigeria. He was enslaved at eleven years old and sold to a British Royal Navy captain who renamed him Gustavus Vassa. Equiano was resold to Robert King, a Quaker in Philadelphia. King taught Equiano how to read and write and about Christianity. Ultimately, Equiano was able to buy his freedom and immigrated to Britain.

In London, Equiano joined the abolitionist movement. He published his life story in The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African in 1789. The slave narrative was a bestseller and made Equiano a large sum of money.

In 1792, Equiano married Susannah Cullen. They had two children, Anna Maria and Joanna. Susannah died in 1796 and Equiano and Anna Maria died the year after. Joanna was left with Equiano’s fortune, approximately $250,000. Joanna and her husband used the money to run their Congregationalist church.

Equiano burial site is unknown.

Effects

Equiano’s story drew a huge amount of attention to the abolitionist movement. Black immigrants to England were not only rare, but his work was one of the earliest examples of slave narratives.

Recently, the authenticity of Equiano’s book has come into question. According to research by Vincent Carieta, author of Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self Made Man, Equiano was born in South Carolina. In his book, Carieta also argues that Equiano’s account on being captured and transported across the Atlantic Ocean was based on previously published slave narratives.