Both Equiano and Cugoano criticized the brutal treatment of slaves, the inhumane conditions on slave ships, and the dehumanizing effects of slavery on both slaves and slave owners. They also both condemned the hypocrisy of Christian slave traders who espoused moral values while participating in the slave trade.

Mary Prince, Olaudah Equiano, Ottobah Cugoano, Samuel Sharpe, William Cowper, Elizabeth Heyrich, John Newton and Granville

Cugoano's purpose in this excerpt is to highlight the humanity and worth of African slaves by challenging the justification of their enslavement through religious arguments. He argues against the idea that slavery is justified by comparing the treatment of slaves to biblical principles and questioning the morality of the slave trade.