Black History: Olaudah Equiano

[John Simkin]

According to his famous autobiography, written in 1789, Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797) was born in what is now Nigeria. Kidnapped and sold into slavery in childhood, he was taken as a slave to the New World. As a slave to a captain in the Royal Navy, and later to a Quaker merchant, he eventually earned the price of his own freedom by careful trading and saving. As a seaman, he travelled the world, including the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Atlantic and the Arctic, the latter in an abortive attempt to reach the North Pole. Coming to London, he became involved in the movement to abolish the slave trade, an involvement which led to him writing and publishing The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African (1789) a strongly abolitionist autobiography. This website provides most of the book online plus articles about the man.

http://www.brycchancarey.com/equiano/

[Guest]

According to his famous autobiography, written in 1789, Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797) was born in what is now Nigeria. Kidnapped and sold into slavery in childhood, he was taken as a slave to the New World. As a slave to a captain in the Royal Navy, and later to a Quaker merchant, he eventually earned the price of his own freedom by careful trading and saving. As a seaman, he travelled the world, including the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Atlantic and the Arctic, the latter in an abortive attempt to reach the North Pole. Coming to London, he became involved in the movement to abolish the slave trade, an involvement which led to him writing and publishing The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African (1789) a strongly abolitionist autobiography. This website provides most of the book online plus articles about the man.

http://www.brycchancarey.com/equiano/

Lesson activity based on section of Equiano's book

http://www.educationforum.co.uk/KS3_2/slave.htm

Teachers should also not miss Dan Lyndon's collection of resources

http://www.blackhistory4schools.com/slavetrade/

[Dan Lyndon]

And if you are interested in the controversy about Equiano's place of birth that has recently been unearthed by American academic Vincent Carretta then you can read the review of his new book here

[Guest]

I have put together an end of term summary lesson on slavery some may find useful

http://www.educationforum.co.uk/KS3_2/slaverysummary.htm

No great shakes on methodology I must confess but will certainly keep them quiet - an important objective as we grope for the end of term