At last we came in sight of the island of Barbadoes, at which the whites on board gave a great shout, and made many signs of joy to us.
This story is important because it challenges pro-slavery propaganda that downplayed the cruelty of the trade by providing historians with firsthand accounts from someone who survived the Middle Passage.
Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, written by Himself (London: 1790), 51-54.
A British and American demographic that supported abolitionist activities was the target audience for this text. Equiano aimed to sway public opinion and promote the abolition of the slave trade by providing striking information.
Many a time we were near suffocation, from the want of fresh air, which we were often without for whole days together. This, and the stench of the necessary tubs, carried off many.
How would Equiano's viewpoint be different from that of African ladies on board? Male authors might not adequately explain the particular types of abuse that women frequently experienced.
In this manner we continued to undergo more hardships than I can now relate; hardships which are inseparable from this accursed trade.
Later slave tales we read in the course, such as those detailing the dehumanization endured on plantations, are similar to Equiano's account of anguish and terror. This implies that cruel practices continued in the colonies from enslavement to capture.
and the attempt procured them some very severe floggings.
Despite the fact that high death rates decreased their earnings, why did European traders keep adopting such harsh conditions? This shows the question of how economic reasoning was subordinated to racial ideology.
Olaudah Equiano Describes the Middle Passage, 1789
Olaudah Equiano wrote this account in 1789, detailing his experience as a young African slave who was carried to the Americas over the Atlantic Ocean. It depicts one of the worst facets of the 17th and 18th century Atlantic slave trade.
we were all put under deck, so that we could not see how they managed the vessel.
Equiano talks of the slave ship's "hold," the little lower deck where Africans were shackled and crammed closely together. As part of the transatlantic triangle trade, ships such as this sailed from West Africa to colonies in the Caribbean or North America.
fetters
Chains around the ankles of slaves
pestilential
Refers to the stench causing infections or diseases