The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano free essay sample

â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano† From Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography published in 1776, historians are able to understand the significant difference between how the business of slavery was conducted between Europeans and Africans. Throughout Equiano’s journey, he recalled how the European and African slave traders and owners differed in the treatment of slaves. Although both Africans and Europeans viewed slavery as a business and traded slaves as property, the European’s treatment of slaves was much more horrific and inhumane. Thus, from his personal accounts traveling throughout parts of Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean, he was able to write from his perspective as a slave which provides historians an accurate firsthand account of the slave trade. From Equiano’s earliest account of childhood in the African region of Nigeria, slavery was a common practice amongst Africans in the region. He noted that slaves â€Å"were only prisoners of war, or such among us had been convicted of†¦crimes, which we esteemed heinous. We will write a custom essay sample on The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † (Equiano, p701. So from Equiano’s account, slavery amongst Africans was not for the purpose of profit and exploitation but rather out of necessity, custom and to assist slave owners. He even commented on that after he was abducted into the slave trade in Africa, he found his way into a chieftain and claimed that â€Å"they all used me extremely well, and did all they could to comfort me. Although the Africans used the practice of slavery as part of their common commerce from Equiano’s account of how he was traded numerous times, each African master throughout his journey treated him â€Å"ethically. We can even construe that African slave owner’s assimilated their slaves as part of the family from Equiano who considered one of his master’s wife â€Å"as something like a mother. † (Equiano,p701) We can also see how although slaves were still considered as property, the African slavers treated slaves as human beings from Equiano’s account of how one of his mistress washed him and even allowed him to eat with her and her son who are both free. Not only did they allow him to eat and drink before them, they also maintained common African customs when the mistress’s son â€Å"would not at any time either eat, or drink till I had taken first, because I was the eldest. †(Equiano,p702. ) From Equiano’s journey in the slave trade in Africa, we see many evidence of how the treatment and sale of slaves was much more â€Å"ethical† in context to his account of his later travels with European slavers. After Equiano had been traded to the Europeans to be transported across the Atlantic to Barbados his accounts significantly differs from his previous accounts while he was in Africa. His Equiano’s point of view, Europeans saw slavery as an economically viable way to exploit Africans and make tremendous profits from the trade. We can see evidence of this from how they loaded the slaves in masses unto ships that caused the condition to be â€Å"so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself. †(Equiano,p703. ) His account provides evidence of Europeans negligence and inhumane treatment of slaves by putting them in these horrific living conditions. These living conditions not only brought suffering, but sickness and death to many slaves from Equiano’s accounts. We can also see that Europeans did not believe that African slaves had any humanity and saw them as purely property to be exploited when Equiano described how a â€Å"multitude of black people of every description chained together. †(Equiano,p702. ) From what Equiano described as he was traded to the Europeans, it is clear that European and African slavers had a much different perspective on slavery. Equiano’s autobiography gives historians a firsthand account of what he sees as he journey throughout Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean. His autobiography provides us evidence that Europeans exploited the African slave trade and treated slaves much more inhumanly then the African slavers. Although Equiano could be slightly biased due to the fact that he was African and he addressed largely to European Christians from his autobiography, his accounts from a firsthand view gives historians evidence to believe that Europeans did in fact treated slaves far worst then Africans.