Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano(c. 1745 – 31 March 1797) also known as Gustavus Vassa, was a prominent African involved in the British movement for the abolition of the slave trade. He was enslaved as a child, purchased his freedom, and worked as an author, merchant, and explorer in South America, the Caribbean, the Arctic, the American colonies, and the United Kingdom, where he settled by 1792. His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, depicts the horrors of slavery and influenced the enactment of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.

Read more about Olaudah Equiano:  Early Life and Enslavement, Release, Pioneer of The Abolitionist Cause, Marriage and Family, Last Days and Will, Controversy of Origin, Commemoration