Olaudah Equiano

Born: 1745, Igboland

Died: March 31
st
1797, London, United Kingdom
Spouse: Susannah Cullen
Children: Joanna Vassa

Olaudah Equiano was a prominent African American that was
involved in the British movement for the abolition of the slave
trade.

Olaudah Equiano, renamed to Gustavas Vassa by his master, had
his only daughter, Joanna Vassa, after his name was changed.
Because of this, Joanna had the last name of Vassa instead of
Epuiano. Olaudahs spouse, Susannah Cullen, was never married
to Olaudah so she never had the same last name as him.

Olaudah Equiano was sold into slavery after being captured, no
where near the African Coast, when he was only 11 years old.
Olaudahs family had slaves of their own, but were always being
threatened to be captured and made into slaves too. While Olahdah
and his sister were home alone, two men and a woman captured
them. They were separated several days later.

Six or seven months later, Olaudah was brought to the coast where
he encountered his first slave ship and white men. In one of his
autobiographies, he described the conditions of the slaves as: the
shrieks of the women, the groans of the dying. He also
explained how many of them wished to commit suicide and the
ones who somehow managed to drown themselves were envied.

When the ship arrived at Barbados, buyers purchased most of the
slaves, but nobody wanted Olaudah. Later, Olaudah was shipped to
the English Colony of Virginia where he was purchased. Less
than a month later, he was sold to another master, Pascal. He
worked for him for 7 years.

In 1766, Olahdahs new master, a merchant from Philadelphia,
gave him permission to buy his freedom.

He worked in the trade business in the West Indies, and later in
London.

In 1773, he began in an expedition to try to discover the
Northwest Passage, a route through the Arctic to the Pacific
Ocean.

Later, Olaudah took part in the movement to abolish slavery,
which was conquered ten years after Olaudahs death in 1797.