Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, was born in the Kingdom of Benin, enslaved as a child, and spent his adult life as a sailor, writer, and abolitionist. His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, published in 1789, is an important source for understanding enslaved and free lives in the eighteenth century.
Essay: The_Life_of_Olaudah_Equiano