How did Olaudah Equiano’s Interesting Narrative argue against slavery?

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John Smith: Map of Virginia — American literature Map of Virginia from John Smith's *The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles*, 1624.

Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano serves as a foundational slave narrative that argues against slavery through several powerful rhetorical strategies.1

Firsthand Testimony: Equiano provided vivid, personal accounts of the transatlantic slave trade and the Middle Passage, exposing the systemic injustices and humiliations endured by enslaved people.1
Humanizing Africa: By idealizing his African homeland as a model of social harmony, he challenged contemporary racist tropes, framing the slave trade as a corruption of a peaceful society driven by greed.1
Moral Appeal: He combined his own experiences of suffering with accounts of kindness he received, creating a nuanced narrative that appealed to the humanity of his readers and supported the broader abolitionist movement.1

By documenting these realities, Equiano transformed his personal history into a potent political tool, effectively agitating against the cruelty of the trade and advocating for the inherent dignity of all people.1