1787: Ottobah Cugoano published his personal narrative describing the horrific conditions of his enslavement in Grenada and his subsequent deliverance to Eng…

1787: Ottobah Cugoano published his personal narrative describing the horrific conditions of his enslavement in Grenada and his subsequent deliverance to England. He detailed the “dreadful scenes of misery” he witnessed, including companions who were cruelly lashed and physically destroyed for minor faults. Cugoano’s account emphasized that while some forms of slavery existed within Africa, they were far less brutal and inhuman than the plantation regimes established by Europeans in the West Indies. After gaining his freedom and learning to read and write, he became a prominent advocate for his fellow countrymen who remained unlawfully held in captivity.