Olaudah Equiano

-Equiano was born in 1745 in Nigeria/died March 1797.

-He was son of chief.

-He was the youngest and the favorite to his mother/ he was always with her.

-At age 11 he and his sister were kidnapped by two African men and one African woman. They were forced onto a slave ship (middle passage) to North America the so-called New Word.

-Children in his village had to be on lookout while playing while their parents were away at work so they could see if any kidnappers were coming.

-He and his sister were separated a little bit after they were kidnapped and later reunited for a short time and then taken away shortly after.

-He was bought by a widow who had a son the same age and there he was treated like a part of the family and not like a slave.

-He thought the white men were like spirits and he feared them.

-There was a loathsome smell on board the ship and people were dying from it and it was hardly any room to move around.

 

Vocabulary:

Procure: to obtain or get by care, effort, or the use of special means.

Copious: plentifully furnished or lavished.

Sable: an Old World weasel like mammal, of cold regions.

Pestilential: pernicious; or harmful

Commodious: spacious and convenient; roomy.

Poignant: keen or strong in mental appeal.

Rivulets: a small brook or stream; a streamlet.

 

Olaudah Equiano

-What I read was in a state of shock and disbelief. I had no idea that African slavery was so extremely brutal and hurtful. Reading about Equiano has made me learn to appreciate and respect my free rights in America as an African American.

-While reading this story I had no ideas I was so appalled at the things I had read about, like how these poor people were taken from their homes and forced into a life of bondage and grief.

-Learning about Equiano and his journey in slavery I had a better understanding of the African Slave trade and what all went on during that time.

-This story has impacted me in a way that I can’t just stop learning here, I have to keep learning as much as I can about my history and also the history of my country.

-My first reaction was just jaw dropping, I couldn’t even begin to imagine being in a situation like these slaves were. This makes me want to take pride in who I am and where my ancestors came from and what they went though.