The Life Of William Bradford And Olaudah Equiano essays

The Life Of William Bradford And Olaudah Equiano essays The writings of both authors, William Bradford and Olaudah Equiano, are very important, because they show us first and accounts of their ideas and horrors. Bradford and Equiano both have many similarities. To begin with, both of them leave a country for a specific reason. Bradford leaves his country, England, to escape religious prosecution (William, 1) and Equiano leaves America to avoid discrimination and becoming a slave again (Elements, 56). Bradford left his country roots to traveled to Holland, before sailing to the New World and helping establish a Plymouth Colony for English Puritans (William, 1). According to Elements (56), when Equiano bought his freedom he left America to forget his slavery horrors that had happened there. Secondly, Bradford and Equiano married Englishwomen. Bradford marries twice. His first wife, Dorothy, felled from the Mayflowers deck and drowned during the voyage (Kelso, 2). Bradfords second wife was Alice Carpenter Southworth, a widow (3). Equiano gets married in London at the age of 47 to an Englishwoman, Susanna Cullen (Elements, 56). While having many similarities, Bradford and Equiano also had many differences. For example, their reason to go to America, the New World. Equiano had no choice, he was forced to go. At 11 he was kidnapped into domestic slavery. He was held captive in West Africa for seven months and then sold to British slavers, who shipped him to Barbados and took him to Virginia. In 1766, Equiano was able to buy his freedom and with that accomplished he left to London ( They, 1). On the other hand, William Bradford was not forced to go to America, he and the Nonconformists chose to go, to escape religious prosecution (William , 1). By sailing to the New World, they thought they could expect more religious toleration while still preserving their English heritage (2). Another difference was their religion. Bradford became a regular attender...