Leah Johnney

Professor Rumore

Archival Object Project

 In the 18^th century there was a rise in works such as slave narratives. These were stories which were writing about slaves and they live they lived. The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano is one of the few slave narratives that is well known, which was published in 1789. Within this narrative, Equiano’s story beings as a child in what is now modern-day Nigeria. He is taken from his home and forced into slavery around the age of eleven. During this time, his sister was also captured and kidnapped. In his life, Equiano was sold ten times before being owned by Robert King. Within his story Equiano refers to the conditions that were faced on the slave ships. His astonishment for the anchored ship quickly turned to terror as he discovered what was going on. The experience of being put under deck is one that can be referred back in history. He describes the stench and the closeness of people, in a very graphic way. His narrative is one of the few that actually describe the conditions that were faced within that time. The climate underdeck was harsh and stifling, which Equiano describes as being hard to even breath that resulted in people dying. Below is an example of the structure that individuals were but in. Because of this form, around 25% of people ended up dying on the long trips.

According to Thomas Lewis, “The Atlantic passage (or Middle Passage) was notorious for its brutality and for the overcrowded, unsanitary conditions on slave ships, in which hundreds of Africans were packed tightly into tiers below decks for a voyage of about 5,000 miles (8,000 km).” At this point of being in the slave ship, Equiano felt as many in his time may have felt. It was as if his faith was sealed as he saw black people being changed together, which was what typically happened. He knew death was near for him and at times felt that death was better than the life he was living. There were those who tried jumping overboard when they were on deck to escape the horrors of what they were experiencing. Some successfully drowned, while others lived and where captured back just to be tortured.  

The ship first arrived in the Caribbean in Barbados. After proving they were healthy by jumping, they were all locked up together and the selling of slaves began. This act separated families and friends for no reason. After being sold to several individuals, Equiano ended up on another Caribbean island and was then sold to Robert King. During his time being owned by King, Equiano was allowed to trade small good such as fruits and other little objects. Equiano traded to places within the Caribbean and North America. Many slave voyages were organized in the Caribbean. According to David Eltis, “twice as many slave voyages were organized in ports in the Caribbean than in ports on the North American mainland, and fewer than 7 percent of all those slave voyages sailing to Africa from the Americas as a whole cleared out from ports located in the United States or what became the United States.” This would justify why Equiano would have passed through these areas as well. Two of the main ports that were slave trading centers in the Caribbean were Kingston, Jamaica and where Equiano passed through; Barbados. Eltis stated, “A comparison of colonial Caribbean voyages with colonial North American mainland ones reveals a fairly dramatic expansion of the mainland business. If there is no monograph on the U.S. slave trade, there is no literature at all on the slave trade based in the pre-1800 Caribbean—even though ships from British Caribbean took more slaves from Africa between 1691 and 1710 than did vessels from all French ports combined.”

Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

In 1767 Equiano was able to buy his own freedom with 40 pounds. Even after he purchased his freedom, it was still questioned by some. His life being a slave began at such a young age from being captured, to being sold several times, suffering through tough conditions and more made him who he was. It is horrifying to see what conditions individuals had to go through on the slave ships and it is surprising that anyone even survived. The process that was created to transfer slaves had a unique route that many may have not been familiar with. These places included Caribbean Islands that was in Equiano’s slave narrative. Equiano worked hard his whole life to claim something that he should have already had in the beginning. Even after he won, there were individuals who tried to capture him back. The fight never seemed to be over for him. After this Equiano meet individuals who supported the abolition movement to end slave trade. Equiano continued to promote the antislavery cause until his death in 1797.

Works Cited

Eltis, David. “The U.S. Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1644–1867: An Assessment.” Civil War

History, vol. 54 no. 4, 2008, p. 347-378. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/cwh.0.0033

Thomas Lewis. “Transatlantic Slave Trade.” Britannica Online Academic Edition, 2019, pp.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.