Olaudah Equiano Thesis

The Journey of Olaudah
(An Informative Text on the Slave Trade)

The North American Slave Trade began when slave traders started to kidnap people of all ages from West Africa. They were forced to endure unspeakable horrors on their trek across the Atlantic as well as when they were finally sold into slavery in the Americas. Olaudah Equiano was one of the few Africans to document his experience on paper, and have his two volume autobiography published. The journey Olaudah suffers through showed the horrors of the trip across the atlantic, but also showed how what he thought and felt about the process as well.
To begin, Olaudah’s perspective during the journey was different than you might think. Do not be mistaken, he did not have a positive mentality about being sold into slavery. He did however have a sort of wonder about the world and a hope that he carries with him throughout his life. As said by Olaudah pg. 174, “This heightened my wonder; and i was now more persuaded than ever that i was in another world and that everything about me

was magic.”
He also was not afraid to tell it how it was either. Olaudah speaks of the horrible stenches and air quality in the hold of the boat. There was just not enough oxygen for the closely packed people. They lived in extreme heat, bad air, their own filth, and had lack of food and water. Many died on the journey across the Atlantic. Olaudah had two basic perspectives; keep hope, but don't forget what happened.
Next, the people aboard the slave trading ships had to endure intolerably loathsome conditions.

They were packed into ships so tight you could barely turn yourself around. On top of that, many people were dying of disease because they were forced to live among their own filth, and the dead and diseased. It was all just on continuous circle of death and suffering and disease. They were all oxygen deprived and the air below deck was so incredibly rank it was basically impossible to breathe. They were beaten mercilessly, and tortured with the prospect of food and water, but hardly received any of either. As Olaudah said, the white men aboard the ship once caught too many fish for themselves, and instead of feeding them to the Africans, they just tossed them over board. Most of them died along the way, mainly the sick, young, and very old. Those people aboard the ships had to endure the hardships that today, people only read

about.
Lastly, after the Africans made it to land, they continued to have to endure hardships. They never got a rest, they only had hardships. After docking on land, the slaves were then ushered onto land and held basically in animal corrals until the slave market was opened. From there, the slaves would then be prodded poked touched commanded to jump and do various activities to test in how good of health a slave was. Then the slaves would then be auctioned off and bidden upon. Then depending on who purchased them, would lead a life of work until they bought their freedom or escaped. It never really got better for the slaves after they stepped off the slave trading ships, it was just continually bad.
Conclusively, it can be agreed upon that the slave trade, and trip across the Atlantic was a truly horrific event. The Africans suffered tremendously across the Atlantic, and then again when they reached land. Accounts like Olaudah’s helped to make the stories even more tangible and more understandable to those who did experience it directly. It was stories like Olaudah’s that helped the american people to come to terms with African slave trade, but also realize there is hope for a better tomorrow.