In three pages this research paper examines slave documents in terms of the cultural attitudes expressed along with the freedom struggles and the obstacles they encountered along the way. Three sources are cited in the bibliography.
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of humans who are not part of ones own tiny tribe as being less than human. From prehistory and down through the centuries, even human society has enslaved people from
conquered territories. Therefore, in looking at documents that have come down to us from the slave era, it is necessary to remember that one of the principle obstacles faced by
enslaved people is that part of their cultural orientation was that slavery was "normal." During the age of exploration, the institution of slavery expanded greatly across Europe. Europeans
wanted cheap labor that would aid them in exploiting the riches of the New World. The native races that these Europeans encountered both in the New World and in Africa
were viewed as being outside of the realm of humanity, creatures without religion, laws or morals. Since these native peoples were not viewed as "people," they could be kidnapped or
massacred with impunity (Conrad, 1994). The best way to get a "feel" for what this period was like is to read the first-hand accounts that were penned by
slaves who survived and managed to learn to read and write. One such account was written by Olaudah Equiano, who was also known by the Christian name given to him
by one of his masters, Gustavus Vassa (Equiano, 1969). On first being consigned to a slave ship, Equiano wrote that his first reaction was to faint from sheer terror. It
seemed to him that he had fallen in with bad spirits and, when he came to, he asked his fellow captives if they were intended as food for the strange
men (Equiano, 1969). The fact that the sailors on the ship did not regard their "cargo" as human beings is very clear from numerous instances that Equiano recorded in