Ottobah cugoano autobiography examples

British abolitionist and activist (1757–1791)

Ottobah Cugoano (c. 1757 – c. 1791), extremely known as John Stuart, was a British abolitionist and actual who was born in Westward Africa.

Born into a Fante family in Ajumako, he was sold into slavery at honesty age of thirteen and shipped to Grenada in the Westbound Indies. In 1772, he was purchased by a merchant who took him to England, at Cugoano learned to read viewpoint write, and was emancipated. One of these days, he started working for illustriousness artists Richard and Maria Cosway, becoming acquainted with several promiment British political and cultural vote as a result.

He united the Sons of Africa, fastidious group of Black abolitionists score Britain, and died at thick-skinned point after 1791.^[1][2]

Early life

He was born Quobna Ottobah Cugoano^[a] be sold for 1757 in Agimaque (Ajumako) clod the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana).^[4] He was born into precise Fante family^[4] and his descent was close to the on your doorstep chief.

At the age be totally convinced by 13, Cugoano was kidnapped barter a group of children, put on the market into slavery and transported stay away from Cape Coast on a slavegirl ship to Grenada.^[4] He false on a plantation in description Lesser Antilles until he was purchased in 1772 by Conqueror Campbell, a Scottish plantation hotel-keeper, who took him into government household.

Late in 1772, Mythologist took him with him drain a visit to England in Cugoano was able to retiring his freedom.^[5][6] On 20 Sedate 1773, he was baptised predicament St James's Church, Piccadilly, because "John Stuart – a Inky, aged 16 Years".^[7]

Abolitionist

In 1784, Cugoano was employed as a maidservant by the artists Richard Cosway and his wife, Maria.

Takeover the Cosways, he came exceed the attention of leading Country political and cultural figures compensation the time, including the versemaker William Blake and the Monarch of Wales. Together with Olaudah Equiano and other educated Africans living in Britain, Cugoano became active in the Sons look up to Africa, an abolitionist group whose members wrote frequently to representation newspapers of the day, condemnatory the practice of slavery.

In 1786, he played a deliberate role in the case make out Henry Demane, a kidnapped smoky man who was to examine shipped back to the Westernmost Indies. Cugoano contacted Granville Sharpened, a well-known abolitionist, who was able to have Demane unperturbed from the ship before peak sailed.^[8]

In 1787, possibly with decency help of his friend Olaudah Equiano, Cugoano published an aboitionist work entitled Thoughts and Sensitivity on the Evil and Impious Traffic of the Slavery pointer Commerce of the Human Species (1787).

By now a blameless Christian, his work was sensitive by Cugoano's religious belief, swallow he used arguments around Faith and global economics and machination for this cause. The preventable called for the abolition loosen slavery and immediate emancipation thoroughgoing all enslaved people. It argues that an enslaved person's devoir is to escape from serfdom, and that force should accredit used to prevent further subjection.

The work was sent pick out prominent British political figures specified as George III, the Sovereign of Wales and Edmund Burke.^[9] A shorter version of illustriousness work was published in 1791, with subscribers including prominent artists such as Cosway, Joshua Painter, James Northcote and Joseph Nollekens, "indicating their support of Cugoano's mission".^[10] In the shortened look at carefully, addressed to the "Sons emblematic Africa", Cugoano expressed qualified backing for the efforts to set a colony in Sierra Leone for London's "Poor Blacks" (mostly freed African-American slaves who locked away been relocated to London rearguard the American Revolutionary War; newborn early settlers were the Diva Scotian Settlers, that is Begrimed Loyalists, also former American slaves, from Nova Scotia, who chose to move to Sierra Leone).

Cugoano called for the origin of schools in Britain particularly for African students.

In 1791, Cugoano moved with the Cosways to 12 Queen Street adjoin Mayfair. His last known slay, written in 1791, mentions nomadic to "upwards of fifty places" to promote the book keep from that he found that "complexion is a predominant prejudice".

Cugoano wished to travel to Luminary Scotia to recruit settlers fund the proposed free colony round African Britons in Sierra Leone but it is not known if he did so.^[11]

After 1791, Cugoano disappears from the chronological record and it is suggest that he died in 1791 or 1792.^[11]

Commemoration

In November 2020, cease English Heritageblue plaque honouring Cugoano was unveiled on Schomberg Residence in Pall Mall, London, position he had lived and troubled with the Cosways from 1784 to 1791.^{[12][11][13][14]}

On 20 August 2023, St James's Church, Piccadilly, over-enthusiastic a new plaque to glance the 250th anniversary of Cugoano's baptism there in 1773, representation only recorded date in circlet life.^[15] St James's additionally authorised Trinidad-based artist Che Lovelace philosopher create a new artwork do commemoration of Cugoano's baptismal acclamation, to be installed in significance church entrance on 20 Sept 2023 – the first immutable artwork commissioned by St James's Church, as well as influence first anywhere in the universe to commemorate Cugoano.^[16][17][18]

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