Amazing Grace By John Newton

During the 18th century, there were many forms of expression over the issue of slavery. Some described the positives as a form of rescue for Africans, such as William Snelgrave’s A New Account of Guinea (Harris and Landay). However, there were many works developed by abolitionists and Africans themselves to describe the horrors of slavery. Real life instances of slavery were depicted either in the form of books, pamphlets, paintings, and documents. “Amazing Grace”, “Slave Song” and Turner’s painting of The Slave Ship depict the evils of slavery not only on the Africans themselves but also individuals who were involved in the slave trade.
The song “Amazing Grace”, written by slave owner John Newton, describes a transformation that Newton has gone through in his life. Although Newton was not a slave himself he describes the great affect slavery has played in his life. ¨Amazing Grace” describes
For instance, Olaudah Equiano was captured as a slave “around the age of eleven” (“British Anti-Slavery Context”). However, as time went on he was able to buy his freedom in the span of three years. He then became one of the most well known abolitionist Africans who wrote an “extraordinary biography¨ (“British Anti-Slavery Context”). Overall the experience of being enslaved was beneficial because it helped him become a prominent member of society. Many would agree with him on the idea of slavery being beneficial to an African, such as Snelgrave who claimed being entered into slavery was a rescue because many Africans would have been “killed after the war and [that...] Africans generally live much better” (Layson and Tikoff) on plantations rather than their homeland Africa. Although there are many pieces that talk about slavery in a negative light there are equally as many that portray the positives of