Olaudah Equiano was 11 years old when he was first kidnapped and made a slave. The following entries are adapted excerpts from his book, which you see above. This book, which is one of the only first-hand accounts of the Middle Passage written by one who endured it, and Equiano's work with other abolitionist leaders in Great Britain such as William Wilberforce, were major factors in the ending of the Atlantic Slave Trade in the 1800's.
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Equiano is kidnapped by slave traders and taken with his sister away from his village.
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Equiano is separated from his sister.
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Equiano describes his life living with his first master, an African chieftain.
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Equiano escapes.
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After escaping, Equiano hides in the woods for days, experiencing fear of all kinds
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Equiano is finally sold by the chieftain and ends up in the hands of a strange tribe who deals with Europeans.
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Equiano describes seeing Europeans and their ships for the first time.
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Equiano is beaten for refusing to eat
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Equiano describes his conversations with his fellow captives, and concludes that the Europeans are spirits with magic powers
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Equiano describes his experiences below deck in a slave ship.
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The Europeans catch a large haul of fish, but throw the uneaten ones back into the sea rather than feed the starving African slaves.
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Equiano is jealous of the Africans who die by jumping or being thrown into the sea.
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