1787: Quobna Ottobah Cugoano published a seminal account describing the “horrible scene” of being conducted from a coastal prison castle to a slave ship.

1787: Quobna Ottobah Cugoano published a seminal account describing the “horrible scene” of being conducted from a coastal prison castle to a slave ship. He detailed the rattling of chains, the smacking of whips, and the profound groans of his fellow countrymen, many of whom were lashed and beaten when they refused to move. Cugoano’s narrative highlighted the intentional deception used by his guides, who claimed he was being taken to the castle only to “learn the ways” of the white-faced people. His witness of the exchange of a gun, cloth, and lead for his own person provides a rare and personal perspective on the cold commercial nature of the slave trade.