Short Essay 5

There are many different definitions of freedom.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines freedom as “the quality or state of being free as: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action” and “liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another.”  While this definition describes what most slaves wished to achieve during their life of servitude, Olaudah Equiano saw freedom as something more.  In his autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African Equiano describes his life and how he viewed slavery and freedom.  For Equiano freedom was controlled by God’s will.  Throughout his life, Equiano was able to see firsthand the difference between freedom as seen through the eyes of slaves and freedom through the eyes of Europeans as well as his own changing ideas of freedom.

Throughout his life, Equiano had been exposed to slavery.  As a boy he would see his father and others in his village go to war and their prisoners would become slaves in their village.  It was that way throughout much of Africa.  Europeans, however, treated their slaves very differently than Africans did.  In Africa, slaves became a part of the village and family, whereas Europeans treated their slaves as animals and property.  To Equiano freedom was a natural right that he had never dreamed would be taken from him.  When Equiano was taken from his home he had no idea the horrors he would be exposed to throughout his life.  His entire world was turned upside down and his ideas of freedom began to change.  He began to see that freedom was not something that he was privileged to, as he believed before.  Instead it was something that could be taken away by another.  Many times he had wished for death so that he could escape the horrors of slavery. 

Once enslaved, Equiano was introduced to Christianity and was baptized as such.  Throughout his life as a slave he maintained his belief in God and God’s will.  Equiano strongly believed that if it was God’s will to make Equiano a free man it would happen.  He also believed that if God wished him to remain a slave, there was nothing Equiano could do to change that.  Equiano worked toward doing his part to please God in order for God to allow him to become a free man.  He maintained his faith and continued to work hard for his masters and in part for himself all the while hoping that some day he would become a free man. 

Equiano shared his beliefs of freedom with many other slaves.  No person wishes to be held in bondage and forced away from family in order to work for another against their will.  Slaves would go to extremes in order to obtain their freedom.  Some would purchase their freedom if they had the privilege of having a master who would be willing to sell them, others would run away or even wish for death just so that they could be free from their Hell.  Equiano was lucky to have been able to purchase his freedom from his master.  Many slaves died in their efforts to obtain their freedom that they believed was a right that they were entitled to.  Europeans had a similar idea of freedom, but since they were not the ones being enslaved it was slightly different.  For a slave, freedom was deeper than the dictionary definition.  It meant not being oppressed and able to defend yourself and your family without fear of death. “When you make men slaves you deprive them of half their virtue” (Equiano, ).  

Short Essay 4

Slavery was a long-standing issue during the eighteenth century all over the world.  While most nations allowed slavery, France had a different approach.  In “There Are No Slaves In France” the author Sue Peabody outlines different court cases in which slaves were freed on the basis that their masters brought them to France, which was considered a free nation.  Peabody also describes different edicts that were created to establish more strict rules on the transport of slaves to France.  Slave owners who brought their slaves to France from the French colonies risked having their slaves freed if they did not follow proper procedures in registering their slaves.  There were many motivations for the French people to help free slaves who set foot on French soil including motivations based on principles and also motivation of personal gain.

The long-standing belief in the “Freedom Principle”, which was the belief that all persons who set foot on French soil were considered free, was one of the main motivations for people to free slaves (Peabody, 6-7).  This principle had been around for centuries.  Pierre Lemerre argued that there were three reasons for the association between France and Freedom.  The first being the edict of Henry II, which states that the “earlier kings could not tolerate their subjects to be in a servile position”, the second is the natural law that all men are equal, and the third being Christianity, that all men are created in God’s image and are not to be treated like an animal by other men (Peabody, 21).  This idea having been around for so long had been rooted into peoples mind and it was something that was followed without thinking about it.

Another motivation for setting slaves free in France was more for personal gain.  The lawyers who took on the cases did so partly because of the Freedom Principal and the other part was to increase the number of cases they had won.  Until it was established that these cases were easily won and the Declaration of 1738 could be challenged, it was difficult for slaves to find a sympathetic lawyer or to be able to pay for legal assistance (Peabody, 51).  Every case that was tried between 1755- 1800 on the basis of freeing a slave in the Admiralty Court of France was ruled in favor of the slave (Peabody, 55).  Lawyers knew this and so they were willing to take on these cases pro bono because it just increased their wins.

There were more motivations for freeing slaves such as that of religious beliefs.  The Roman Catholic Faith did not believe in the institution of slavery and therefore the King who was a follower of the Catholic Faith did not believe in slavery.  There were most likely more reasons to set free the African slaves, but Peabody seems to stress these points.  The Freedom Principle seemed to be the most motivating factor.  The Kings did not want to oppress their people with slavery and they believed that men should not be treated as animals.  Some people had more personal reasons such as the lawyers who took on the cases in order to increase how many wins they had in court.  Whatever the reasons for not allowing slaves in France, the King and Courts made sure the institution was not allowed on French soil.