Olaudah Equiano And Slavery Essay

Jesus’ reply to a Pharisee’s question concerning the most important commandment sums up the Christian faith: love God and love one’s neighbor (Mark 12:30-31, NIV). Although this commandment lacks specificity as to how love should be discharged, Jesus made it known to his followers and successive followers that love reigns supreme in God’s eyes. In this sense, one would assume that Christian cultures throughout history must have been beacons of love and compassion. However, this assumption lacks validity. Early Modern Europe was prominently Christian, as evidenced by the religious zeal of the Protestant Reformation, a famous “religious movement that gained wide acceptance and caused Christianity to break into many divisions” (McKay 338). Nevertheless,

To assuage the problem, many European merchants bought slaves from the Black Sea region and the Balkans to work on farms (McKay 387). Although slavery was not built on the concept of racism during this time, the practice itself was undoubtedly violent. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano serves as a testament to the violence inherent in slavery. Equiano was a former slave captured from Africa and brought to America. During his time as a slave, he accounts: “...for my sister and I were then separated, while we lay clasped in each other's arms. It was in vain that we besought them not to part us; she was torn from me, and immediately carried away, while I was left in a state of distraction not to be described. I cried and grieved continually; and for several days I did not eat anything but what they forced into my mouth” (Equiano). Aside from the dangerous aspects of slavery, Equiano provides insight into the violence that tore families apart. His unending grief and lack of appetite furthermore illustrates the psychological violence that he and many other slaves endured as a consequence of slavery. Slaves weren’t the only marginalized group,