Chapter Summary: The African Slave Trade

My understanding of the African slave trade was solidified after reading this piece of literature. In chapter two, the process Equiano undergoes can explain what most slaves went through. However, Equiano’s personal feelings and words are what separates him from the other slaves; it is his story, yet also the story for many slaves. The narrative illustrates that slaves are captured by Europeans and put onto slave ships over sea. The slave ships were the complete opposite of hygienic, where the smell intoxicated many slaves. The second stage of the slave trade was when the slaves were transported across the Atlantic, known as the Middle Passage. Prior to reading this narrative, I learned about slavery in my history class, and how the Middle
Passage was when Africans were sold for raw materials. At the end of chapter two, is it articulated “Many merchants and planters now came on board…They put us in separate parcels, and examined us attentively” (Equiano 26). When reading this, I was aware slaves were examined to see which slave was “worth” money, meaning being able to perform manual labor. The third stage of the slave trade was the forced labor for the slaves as well as the slaves arriving in the West Indies and being put to work. Overall, the Africans were enslaved. In addition, the narrative provided me with the understanding of how African Americans were treated in a terrible manner. Although I was informed about this in history class, the narrative is a first person account, which shows more emotion and humane characteristics than a history textbook.