Born 1717. At 7 or 8 sold to a ship's captain called Steenhardt. Took him to Middelburg in Zeeland, Holland. Later brought him back to Elmina Castle then to Shama. Steenhardt presented him to Jacobus van Goch, factor of the Dutch West India Company (DWIC) in Shama who gave him the name Capitein. Van Goch took him to Holland, arriving at the Hague in 1726. Capitein learnt Dutch and painting, reading, writing, cyphering and arithmetic, catechism, manners, customary prayers. Went to Latin school. Grounding in classics. At Leyden University on 10 March 1742 delivered an oration in Latin on the question `Is slavery contrary to Christian freedom or not?' Published in Latin and Dutch. Argued that though Christian love prevented Christians from treating their slaves with cruelty and allowed that after some time freedom might be allowed to the slave, there was no express command in the Gospel to that end, nor was slavery contrary to Christian freedom.
Bartels, F. L., Jacobus Eliza Capitein 1717-1747 Trans Hist Soc. of Ghana, 43-13 (1959),47
Kpobi, David Nii Anum THE SAGA OF A SLAVE: Jacobus Capitein of Holland and Elmina vii, 102pp, GHANA. SUB-SAHARAN PUBLISHERS, 9988812108 2002 Paperback
Prah, Kwesi Kwaa, Jacobus Eliza Johannes Capitein, 1717-1747 : A Critical Study of an Eighteenth Century African, AFRICA WORLD PRESS INC.,1992
Wiltgen, R. M, Gold Coast Mission History 1471-1880 Techny Ill, 1956
Born 1717. At 7 or 8 sold to a ship's captain called Steenhardt. Took him to Middelburg in Zeeland, Holland. Later brought him back to Elmina Castle then to Shama. Steenhardt presented him to Jacobus van Goch, factor of the Dutch West India Company (DWIC) in Shama who gave him the name Capitein. Van Goch took him to Holland, arriving at the Hague in 1726. Capitein learnt Dutch and painting, reading, writing, cyphering and arithmetic, catechism, manners, customary prayers. Went to Latin school. Grounding in classics. At Leyden University on 10 March 1742 delivered an oration in Latin on the question `Is slavery contrary to Christian freedom or not?' Published in Latin and Dutch. Argued that though Christian love prevented Christians from treating their slaves with cruelty and allowed that after some time freedom might be allowed to the slave, there was no express command in the Gospel to that end, nor was slavery contrary to Christian freedom.