Olaudah Equiano Thesis

Throughout American history, people of all races and religions sought for freedom at one point or another. The freedom they so desired varied from slavery, religious beliefs, and indentured servitude. One of the more commonly known forms being the African American slaves being sold to the plantation owners. The slave trade was most popular between the 1700’s and 1800’s when over 7.7 million people were taken from Africa and brought to the New World. Of the 7.7 million slaves, one by the name of Olaudah Equiano decided to put his journey on paper. The autobiography of Olaudah Equiano was first published in 1789 and is the first example of a slave narrative. This means that Equiano wrote down everything that he was able to recall during his time as a slave. Equiano was the youngest son of a West African village chief, kidnapped by slave traders and sent to the New World in the 1750’s at the age of eleven. He paints life in Africa to be large and full of open space to run and …show more content…
There were many advertisements in colonial newspapers asking to be on the lookout for runaways. Many times there were reward offerings made by the owners for their missing servants. In the advertisement, it usually noted what the individuals were wearing the last time they were seen, their age, what they looked like, and how they left. Some fugitives would leave by horse and others might have taken a boat. The owners hoped that their servants would be found and returned, so they did not have to go out and pay for another one. They made sure to put as many details in their advertisements as possible to ensure the return of their workers. These advertisements tell today’s society that the owners did not really care about the well-being of their servants and slaves; they only wanted them to be returned, so they could go back to work on the