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Olaudah Equiano Research Paper

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1. How does Olaudah Equiano describe the kind of slavery he knew in Africa? How does it compare with the plantation slavery of the Americas? The kind of slavery Olaudah knew within his journey are perplex, confliction, and complex. Olaudah’s family was wealthy and actually owned slaves as well. He understood slavery, and within Africa, slaves were treated fairly and with some mount of respect. They had nicer clothes, food, and were not treated like animals.
Equiano was the youngest boy within his family, and as a young boy he was taught at a young age how to shoot and defend himself. He was eleven when he and his sister were sought out by robbers, and in no time were taken away. This was literally the moment he knew his life …show more content…
What aspects of the shipboard experience contributed to the slaves’ despair?

The slaves were treated horribly, and were treated as if they had no meaning or value in life. They were crammed together, barely fed, and smelt awfully. They would scream and cry out in agony, but when it came to their death, they were tossed into the ocean as if they had no soul.

4. Why, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, did European enslave Africans to work on plantations in the New Wolrld? Why not other Europeans or Native Americans?

European’s enslaved Africans to work on their sugar plantations, crops, metal mines, cloth making, and basically experiment on African people rather than their own. Africans seemed to have many skills that were valuable. They also used African Americans over natives because there was a disease epidemic that reduced their Indian population. Because of this epidemic it was hard for Europeans to meet demand, and Africans seemed to not get sick with the same illnesses that Indians did. Due to Europe quickly growing with people, crime, and poverty, England actually did enslave some of their poor people into workhouses, and branded them with the letter “S”. Europe never used any of their own wealthy or mid class people. To them, it would have caused them to have less population, therefore causing less strength within their

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