Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797), known by people as Gustavus Vassa, was a freed slave turned prominent African man in London. Equiano became an abolitionist and began to record his life story after being freed. This text is an excerpt from Equiano's autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, in which Equiano tells the tale of his brutal voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
Pair “Olaudah Equiano Recalls the Middle Passage” with “From Africa to America” to provide students with an excerpt from an autobiography written by a former slave. How does Equiano describe his experiences being taken from Africa and forced to work in another country? How does Equiano’s account help students better understand the cruelty that African slaves faced? Which details from the text “From Africa to America” support the experiences that Equiano shares in his autobiography?