But the whole business of slavery is an evil of the first magnitude, and a most horrible iniquity to traffic with slaves and sou
ls of men; and an evil, sorry I am, that it still subsists, and more astonishing to think, that it is an iniquity committed amongst Christians, and contrary to all the genuine principles of Christianity, and yet carried on by men denominated thereby. –Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil and Wicked Traffic of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, Quobna Ottobah Cugoano What belief does Cugoano explicitly state in the passage?
As an African abolitionist, Ottobah Cugoano was against all forms of slavery. His point resides in the fact that Christians themselves were trading slaves, ever since the time when the holy scriptures had been written. That was a period of time in human history when slavery was commonplace and not as frowned upon. However, various principles found in the Bible provide enough evidence to show they believed the exact opposite and, therefore, the sole duty of slaves is to escape from their dire situation.
