Throughout history, Slavery has existed as one of the most atrocious and ubiquitous systems in human existence. It was a practice in which one human was owned like property by another human. A slave was deprived of almost all the rights. Usually, society accepted a person from a marginalized community as a slave. The slaves were generated usually by capturing in war or the form of the present. The practice of owning slaves was vastly spread in Western and Islamic civilizations.
We’ll delve into the lives of ten famous slaves who made significant contributions to the world of history:
10) Olaudah Equiano:
Source: Wikipedia
Olaudah Equiano was an African writer and former slave. At a very young age, he was kidnapped and forced into slavery. At a very young age, he had to withstand the cross-continental slave trade. He was deeply affected by many inhumane conditions yet he remained strong. His patience and perseverance brought light to his life when his owner freed him from the shackles of slavery in 1766. The freedom gave Equiano the ability to embark on a literary journey.
Later in his life, Equiano published an autobiography that exposed the brutality of slavery and its role in cross-continental trading. The narration of the book was so compelling, it played a pivotal role in the abolitionist movement in Great Britain.
9) Abram Petrovich Gannibal:
Source: Wikipedia
General Abram Petrovich Gannibal (also Hannibal) was a military officer and former slave. At a young age, he was forcibly taken to Russia to serve as a slave. Abram was an exceptionally intelligent and highly skilled young man. This caught his owner’s attention and he freed him. Along with the freedom, the owner provided him with all necessities and education. This set an incredible path for Abram’s pursuit of military service. He excelled in various fields of military operations and engineering, later gaining the title of “Major General”.
8) Ammar Bin Yasir:
Source: Wikimedia
Ammar Bin Yasir was one of the most renowned companions of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). He served as a slave in the Banu Adi tribe. He was a dedicated follower and devotee of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) before the advent of Islam. He facilitated the Holy Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) marriage to Hazrat Khadija and served as a witness of the sacred union.
He was freed by Hazrat Abu Bakr, the first caliph of the Islam. After his freedom, he spread the message of Islam and Prophet (P.B.U.H) teachings. He was martyred during the Battle of Siffin by Abu Al’Adiyah.
7) Nat Turner:
Source: Wikipedia
Nat Turner was an American-African slave born in Southampton in 1800. He led a rebellion against the white supremacists, for his fellow black slaves in 1831. This rebellion marked the freedom movement for the slaves for the first time in US history. The rebellion resulted in several deaths of white supremacists including men, women and children. This marked an end to the myth that Black people were ill-fated and submissive to the mutiny.
With this brave example, Turner met his fate as he was executed in the trial for the deaths of white supremacists.
6) James Somersett:
Source: English-Heritage
James Somersett was born as an enslaved in Africa in 1741. At a very young age, he was purchased by his owner Stewart. He didn’t work as a forced laborer but as a personal servant to Stewart. James was treated with good care by his owner who trusted him the most and took him everywhere with him for the travelling.
During their time in Great Britain, Somerset was enlightened about slavery and the abolitionist movement. He realized the importance of being vocal and supporting the movement for the eradication of slavery. He aspired to join this freedom movement. When his owner came to know about James’s divine purpose, he put restrictions on him. With courage and determination, James escaped and served as a sign of courage and determination in the face of oppressors who wanted to demean the movement.
5) Enrique of Malacca:
Source: Wikipedia
Enrique of Malacca was of Malay origin. He served as a personal servant to Ferdinand Magellan. Enrique had remarkable skills which made him a special servant and an asset. His owner, Magellan took him along on an expedition and quest to find a sea route for the Pacific Ocean. Enrique and his owner are the first person to circumnavigate the globe, crossing every line of longitude and the meridian. Through his linguistic skills, he also met with many people from his origin.
4) Frederick Douglas:
Source: Wikipedia
Frederick Douglas was an African slave and orator born in Maryland in 1818. At a very young age, Douglas was brought by Captain Anthony. When he was in slavery he learned his mother had remarkable skills in reading. He adopted these skills and furnished them by proficiently reading and learning from the Bible. As he was literate, he pursued support for anti-slavery movements and abolitionism.
He started working for these movements and started his journal “The North Star” which emphasized abolitionists and was a testament to the slaves about their brutal oppression.
3) Saint Pattrick:
Source: Wikipedia
Saint Patrick was born in Great Britain. He was the “Apostle of Ireland” as he spread Christianity in Ireland. At a very young age, St. Patrick was sold into slavery in Ireland. During the captivity, he didn’t seize the opportunity of deepening his faith and escaped to become a monk. Later in his life, he returned to Ireland and spread the message of Jesus. His efforts and determination made many Irish people convert to Christianity. He also built a church and brought peace to the people of Ireland.
Even today, the world celebrates St. Patrick’s Day to commemorate the legacy of St.Patrick who influenced many Irish people and turned the country into a spiritual land.
2) Aesop:
Source: Wikipedia
Aesop was renowned for his Greek fables, short narrative stories that convey a moral lesson. The fables usually feature nonliving objects or animals giving them human-like qualities. He is believed to have lived in the era before Christ. Most of the details about his life are scarce but in the history, it is mentioned that he was a slave. He later escaped and embarked on a journey of moving into circles and fabricating the fables. Most of his fables are very famous, according to sources Socrates used to read Aesop’s fables by heart in prison.
1) Spartacus:
Source: Wikipedia
Spartacus was an excellent Thrace gladiator. He was one of the slaves that had escaped in the Servile War. He served in the military and army. As an army officer, he defeated the coasts of Southern Italy. He also fought against the Roman army. He led an army of 90,000 people, for whom he pursued freedom. The ill-fated people didn’t want to bring change thus, getting caught by the Roman army. Unfortunately, Spartacus rests in eternal peace as he was killed in the battle.
History remembers him as a remarkable warrior, who without any support stood against the strong armies and defeated them. Unfortunately, he had no support to fight for freedom and free the people from the shackles of slavery. He gave his life in pursuit of this noble purpose.
