Baptism of Olaudah Equiano

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is one of the most read slave narratives of all time and a text of prominent importance during the rise of the abolitionist movement. It highlights the entire life of Olaudah Equiano, as is related to his experience with slavery, which has been debated over its accuracy for as long as it has existed. Most of the dissenting takes over Equiano’s origin were dismissed during the time of the Abolitionist movement as opinions that only existed because they were in opposition of abolition. However, there were documents found and revealed in 1999 that definitively call into question Equiano’s story. One of these documents is a baptismal record from a church in London dated February 9th, 1759. This document lists Equiano as having been born in Carolina, and this is corroborated by additional documentation that Equiano has verified in the past, before his narrative was written. It’s because of this that some think that the narrative was constructed as a purely political piece using the stories of other enslaved peoples for the base of events.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Interesting_Narrative_of_the_Life_of_O...

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Event date:

9 Feb 1759