History

The final element presented by both The Interesting Narrative and The Unredeemed Captive is the detailed history that each provides to the reader. Equiano provides, in detail, the horrible account of his enslavement. He describes being taken from his home and brought to different masters in Africa before heading overseas and finding life not to be much better there. He describes the battles between the French and the English, and illustrates the intensity of their combat at sea. Equiano provides a first-hand history of how hard it was for a slave to achieve freedom, if even given the opportunity. He is not treated as badly as many other slaves, so his story and retold history is different from that of a slave with a brutal owner. As Equiano shows, slaves did many different tasks aside from just working the fields, they were also “masons, fisherman, and smiths” (Equiano 103). Slaves also provided the backbone of the economy, and pushed a young America and many other countries to new heights. The Unredeemed Captive also gives an in-depth history into the beginning of life in America. It describes the settlers, their towns, jobs, and religion. The lifestyle of the Mohawk Nation is also provided, complete with details of their longhouses, practices, and customs. An overlapping theme in both books other than the three main ones of race, captivity, and American history seems to be religion. Equiano frequently quotes the Scripture throughout his story, while religion was a big part of the lifestyle of Early American life. Eunice Williams even converts to the religion of the Native Americans, showing that it was important to the people who the settlers deemed uncivilized.

Race and captivity played a leading role in the development of the history of the Atlantic. John Demo’s The Unredeemed Captive and Odaulah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative share the same elements of race, holding captives, and illustrate how the themes of captivity and race played a role in the lives of many people during this time. Equiano’s tale is one of displacement and a forced life of labor and slavery. He is eventually able to earn his freedom, but there are numerous struggles along the way. Equiano’s story shows how poorly Africans were treated and respected, and gives the reader a feeling of disgust at the horrors of slavery. Demo’s story reflects the Indian warring culture and the practice of taking prisoners and assimilation into the culture. While many captives chose to leave the Native American culture after their capture, some chose to stay, specifically in the case of Eunice Williams. She became a full part of the Mohawk culture and considered herself a Mohawk, while Equiano considers himself a European. Overall, race and captivity influenced much of Atlantic history, and changed much of the world’s history forever.