the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano sparknotes

These efforts generally relied on gradual emancipation to prevent what early leaders believed would be certain chaos if all slaves were freed at the same time. Over the next several years, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Smith’s home of Connecticut followed. Vermont became the first state to ban slavery in its 1777 constitution, written in the midst of the fight for American independence. Bolstered by the desire to resolve this paradox, a burgeoning emancipation movement arose in the northern United States during the late eighteenth century. The ideals of political freedom and universal liberty had inspired the Patriots to mount an armed rebellion against their imperial British government at the same time, however, many of those same Patriots were slave owners who benefitted from the economic and cultural system that supported racial bondage.

In the post-revolutionary United States, slavery was an institution that generated complex and often contradictory ideas and feelings among white citizens. After purchasing his own freedom while in his mid-thirties, Smith became a respected member of his Connecticut community, able to garner printed attestations to his character and to the veracity of his tale from white citizens. Yet his story is ultimately one of overcoming the odds. During this period, Smith also underwent separation from his wife and children, a situation not uncommon for enslaved African Americans, and faced unfair treatment from his various masters. The portions of Smith’s narrative reprinted here focus largely on the economic aspects of his voyage through slavery and into freedom-an effort that required years of labor above and beyond Smith’s regular duties as an enslaved person and saw him overcome considerable setbacks. Published in Connecticut in 1798, Venture Smith’s autobiographical narrative recounts his life as a free African, enslaved African American, and “redeemed” African American during the colonial and early republican periods of the United States.

“I had already been sold three different times, made considerable money with seemingly nothing to derive it from, been cheated out of a large sum of money, lost much by misfortunes, and paid an enormous sum for my freedom.” Summary Overview

The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano sparknotes