Equiano and Sojourner Truth

Equiano and Sojourner Truth
Student’s name
Institutional Affiliation(s)

Construct a definition of slavery, speaking to the experiences described in Olaudah
Equiano, and the diary of Sojourner Truth. To be a slave meant the person did not own his/
her body. The body was considered property owned by a white man. A slave did own their own
mind, but there was a disconnection between the two because the mind can have thoughts about
revolting or escaping, but the body did not follow due to deadly consequences that would follow
if such thought was put into motion. Writer and public speakers such as Olaudah Equiano and
Sojourner Truth fought and lived through painful experiences that they used to educate white
people. To tell those people about harsh times that they never experienced because they were not
black or considered less than human (Equiano & Vassa., 2013). They expressed the knowledge
through writing personal narratives to public speeches. The main ideas of these writings and
speeches were to bring awareness to people about the treatment of slaves and the impact it had
on their lives.
What are some circumstances that strike you as particularly difficult to
endure? Slaves were forced to do labour work, working on fields such as plantations and house
chores. Slaves were mentally affected because they were separated from their own family at a
young age and slaves experienced and witnessed discipline action from their masters.
Why did slavery persist despite resistance? The need for labourers to work in the
plantations, fields, industries and homes of their masters meant that the whites needed slaves at
all cost. Besides, the African leaders at the time sold their citizens to slavery so that they could
get wealth. The need for wealth by African leaders and the need for slaves by the whites kept the
slavery going on for long periods (Gilbert & Truth, 1991). Slavery existed throughout the 18th
century through the mid-19th century. This was a period where African American or blacks as
they were called by people who believed in white supremacy were hurt physically and mentally.