Olaudah Equiano:

Exposing the Horrors

Of Slave Trade

Ruben Hernandez
Junior Division
Individual Website

When I was first introduced to the idea of National History Day, the first
topic that popped into my head was Olaudah Equiano. I remembered reading a
page about him in our history textbooks and was very curious to learn more about
his life. When I learned that the theme this year was Legacy and Leadership, I was
even more certain of my topic being the right one for me.
I started of my research by looking over various web pages that were
recommended to me for the purpose of researching. I went over multiple online
encyclopedias and learned that Equiano made an autobiography. At first, I
struggled to find the book, but soon I realized that the Library of Congress made it
available online. This caused me to be able to find more in-depth information about
my topic. I continued to look through the Library of Congress online database and
found many materials that were available to me through the internet.
In the decision on what type of presentation I would do, I came with the
conclusion of a website. I made this choice because I believe that the best way to
shape my project was through technology, visuals, and text. To create the website, I
started by laying out my idea for the website. In my outline, I included the
materials that I found online and research I collected. Next, I entered weebly and
viewed the materials I was allowed to enter in my website. I tried to make my
website easy to navigate by including button links to other pages. I also tried to
make the website as organized as possible. To do this, I used dividers and made the
text wrap around images I included in my website. At first, I did not understand
how to program the website to do certain things, like drop down pages when you
scroll over a page name, but then I found a tutorial made by NHD on YouTube.
My topic relates to this years theme of Leadership and Legacy because
Olaudah Equiano left a legacy in the world and was a leader. Equiano helped lead
the abolitionists in the fight to end slave trade. He is known as the creator of slave
narratives. These are both reasons that Equiano was a leader. Olaudah Equiano left
a legacy as well. He caused many people to see slavery as an opposition to their
beliefs. Equiano also caused organizations to be formed against slave trade, even
after he died. I would say that this is evidence that fits the definitions of leadership
and legacy.
(Word Count: 432)