Olaudah Equiano

@Anti Slavery Activist, Timeline and Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Olaudah Equiano was a prominent Black activist who worked hard to put an end to slave trade in Britain and its colonies African American Authors African American Slaves Activists Olaudah Equiano was a prominent Black activist who worked hard to put an end to slave trade in Britain and its colonies. Once a slave himself, Equiano personally experienced the hardship, turmoil, and forbidding treatment meted out to slaves by the Britain’s upper class. The experience left a deep impact on the enslaved Equiano, who even lost his identity to his master as he universally became known as Gustavus Vassa rather than Olaudah Equiano. However, unlike other slaves, Equiano did not participate in field work and rather served his masters personally. Furthermore, his masters were benevolent enough to enable him to learn to read and write. Being an educated slave, Equiano made the most of his knowledge by penning an autobiography, ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’ which depicted the horror of slavery. The book was an instant bestseller and soon gained a cult status amongst the reading class. It led to the creation of a new literary genre that expounded the brutality and inhumanity faced by the slaves. Banking on the popularity gained through the book, Equiano became an activist and worked hard to improve the economic, social and educational conditions in Africa. He was a leading figure of the black group, Sons of Africa that opposed slave trade. He actively contributed in the anti-slavery movement of the 1780s

Personal Details

Birthday: 1745 Died on: March 31, 17971745 Nationality: Central African Famous: Anti Slavery Activist, African American Authors, African American Slaves, Activists Spouses: Susannah Cullen Childrens: Joanna Vassa Birth Place: Igboland Information Detail Birthday 1745 Died on March 31, 17971745 Nationality Central African Famous Anti Slavery Activist, African American Authors, African American Slaves, Activists Spouses Susannah Cullen Childrens Joanna Vassa Birth Place Igboland Gender Male Born in Igboland Famous as Anti Slavery Activist Died at Age 52

Igboland

Olaudah Equiano born at Unsplash Birth Place

Olaudah Equiano married Susannah Cullen on April 7, 1792, in St Andrew's Church in Soham, Cambridgeshire. The couple was blessed with two daughters, Anna Maria and Joanna. Unsplash Personal Life

He breathed his last on March 31, 1797 a year after his wife Susannah Cullen who passed away in February 1796. His eldest daughter, Anna Maria too died in 1797 leaving Joanna as the legitimate heir to Equiano's estate. Unsplash Personal Life

Posthumously, in 1996, The Equiano Society was formed to celebrate the life and work of Olaudah Equiano. Unsplash Personal Life

Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745 in the region now known as Nigeria. He was the youngest of the seven children born to his parents who belonged to the Igbo tribe. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

At the age of 11, while looking after the family compound, he was kidnaped along with his sister. The two were then taken far from their hometown, separated and sold to the local slave traders. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Following a brief period of stay in Africa, Equiano was sold to the European slave traders, who in turn shipped him across the Atlantic to Barbados in the West Indies along with 244 other enslaved Africans. From Barbados, a handful of African slaves including him were sent to the British colony of Virginia. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In Virginia, Equiano was bought by Michael Pascal, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Pascal gave Equiano the name of Gustavus Vassa, which stayed with him for the better part of his lifetime. Unsplash Later Life

Domestic slaves in Virginia were treated brutally by their owners. Often iron muzzle was employed to keep the slaves quiet. The state of Equiano was no less. Unsplash Later Life

Equiano accompanied his master to England where he served as a valet in the Seven Years’ War against France. Additionally, Pascal trained him in seamanship so that the latter could assist the ship crew in the times of battle. His duty included hauling gunpowder to the gun decks. Unsplash Later Life

Impressed by Equiano dutiful obedience, Pascal shipped him to his sister-in-law in Great Britain with the intention that young Equiano would be able to attend school and learn to read and write. Unsplash Later Life

Upon reaching Great Britain, Equiano was converted to Christianity. Mary Guerin and her brother, Maynard, cousins of his master Pascal, served as his godparents. In February 1759, he was baptized in St Margaret's, Westminster. Mary and Maynard helped young Equiano learn English. Unsplash Later Life

The highpoint in Equiano’s life came with the publication of his autobiography, ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’. The first slave narrative, it gave a personal account of Equiano’s enslaved life. The book gave a detailed explanation of the pitiable state of slaves and the inhumaneness faced by them. Widely read, the book went through nine publications in his lifetime and was highly in demand. It played an instrumental role in the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807 which abolished slave trade legally. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	1745
Died on	March 31, 17971745
Nationality	Central African
Famous	Anti Slavery Activist, African American Authors, African American Slaves, Activists
Spouses	Susannah Cullen
Childrens	Joanna Vassa
Birth Place	Igboland
Gender	Male
Born in	Igboland
Famous as	Anti Slavery Activist
Died at Age	52

Olaudah Equiano

Central African

1745

Biography

Personal Details

Igboland