slave narratives
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
SLAVE NARRATIVE
-Autobiography of a slave-Exposes horrors of human bondage-Slave’s experiences from his/her point of view
The Middle Passage
Enslaved Africans crossing Atlantic Americas
Approx. 15 million from 1500-1800 1 in 8 Almost no firsthand accounts
Education Reliving
Olaudah Equiano
1745-1797 Kingdom of Benin, West Africa Son of tribal leader 11 years old = kidnapped, sold to
British slave traders 2-volume autobiography
Olaudah Equiano
6-10 week Atlantic voyage on slave ship Anchors in Barbados
Separated from sister, taken to Virginia Purchased by British captain Works at sea
Renamed Gustavus Vassa Enslaved for 10 years
Olaudah Equiano
Philadelphia Manages master’s finances Makes own money, buys freedom
England Devoted to abolition of slavery
1787- commissary of slave ship Vernon 500 freed slaves Freetown, Sierra Leone settlement
The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano Written for white English/American
reader Details journey
Virtual tour of slave ship Cruelty of whites to Africans
Published 1989- very popular By 1794 8 editions in England, 1 in
U.S. Made society face cruelties of
slavery
Emotional Appeals
Evocative words Trigger feelings of sympathy or
outrage
Shriek rather than yell appeals to people who have heard someone scream in pain
Descriptions of Africans begging for food appeals to people who have felt hunger