The Abolition of The Slave Trade

Simmons, William J., Men of mark: eminent, progressive and rising. (published 1887), Cleveland, O., G. M. Rewell & Co., 1887.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / General Research and Reference Division

ID# 1169826 (2)

Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745-1797), the son of a Southeastern Nigerian notable, was kidnapped at the age of 10 and taken to Virginia. A sailor, he traveled to Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America. He bought his freedom in 1766, continued his travels and became a writer and abolitionist in London. Through his work and his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789), he was an ardent advocate for the abolition of the slave trade and slavery.