'''Olaudah Equiano''', also known as Gustavus Vassa (c. 1745 - March 31, 1797). He was best known as an early champion for the [[abolition]] of institutionalized [[slavery]] and the trans-Atlantic [[slave trade]]. This "trade in human souls", as he argued was not only amoral (and contrary to all major religions found in the American Colonies), but also bad economics. His work ''The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself'' not only explores the horrors of slavery (especially in the British [[West Indies]]) but also puts forth a stout economic argument against the institution of slavery and for the development of [[Africa]]. | '''Olaudah Equiano''', also known as Gustavus Vassa (c. 1745 - March 31, 1797). He was best known as an early champion for the [[abolition]] of institutionalized [[slavery]] and the trans-Atlantic [[slave trade]]. This "trade in human souls", as he argued was not only amoral (and contrary to all major religions found in the American Colonies), but also bad economics. His work ''The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself'' not only explores the horrors of slavery (especially in the British [[West Indies]]) but also puts forth a stout economic argument against the institution of slavery and for the development of [[Africa]]. |