In Chapter 2 of Hochschild’s Bury the Chains, Olaudah Equiano writes about his experiences with slavery as both a slave and “free” man. Equiano was raised in present day Nigeria with a father who even owned slaves himself. After being seized by a gang, Equiano found himself on a slave ship trying to survive the unsanitary, unsafe, and cruel conditions along with many other slaves. The conditions were so bad on these ships that it was not uncommon to find slaves preferring death over slavery. After not being sold in Barbados to work on a plantation, he became Lt. Pascal’s personal slave for several years. When Equiano gained the position of Royal Navy seaman, Pascal sold him to Robert King fearing that he no longer had the right to keep him as a slave. After being sold numerous times, Equiano found himself secretly trading to save up money to eventually buy his freedom. Later in time, “Equiano found himself on board a slave vessel once again, this time helping Irving selecting slaves to be field hands (39).”
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