Twelve Years a Slave: (Illustrated): With Five Interviews of Former Slaves (Sapling Books): Narrative of Solomon Northup

By Solomon Northup and N. Orr

Solomon Northup was born a free man in New York State. At the age of 33 he was kidnapped in Washington D.C. and placed in an underground slave pen. Northup was transported by ship to New Orleans where he was sold into slavery. He spent the next 12 years working as a carpenter, driver, and cotton picker. This narrative reveals how Northup survived the harsh conditions of slavery, including smallpox, lashings, and an attempted hanging. Solomon Northup was among a select few who were freed from slavery. His account describes the daily life of slaves in Louisiana, their diet and living conditions, the relationship between master and slave, and how slave catchers used to recapture runaways. Northup's first person account published in 1853, was a dramatic story in the national debate over slavery that took place in the nine years leading up to the start of the American Civil War

• Language: English
• Publisher: Engage Books
• Release date: Jun 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781927970362

Solomon Northup

Solomon Northup (1808-c. 1863) era un hombre afroamericano libre del estado de Nueva York que en 1841 fue secuestrado y vendido como esclavo en Washington D. C. Trabajó forzosamente en varias plantaciones de Luisiana hasta que fue rescatado en 1853. Poco después de su liberación publicó sus memorias, que tuvieron una gran acogida y reforzaron el abolicionismo, una causa que ya había sido apuntalado el año anterior con la publicación de La cabaña del tío Tom, de Harriet Beecher Stowe, y que habría de desembocar en la Guerra Civil estadounidense. Northup llevó a sus captores ante los tribunales, aunque nunca llegaron a ser procesados. Desde entonces, se desconocen los detalles de su vida, pero se cree que murió en Glens Falls, Nueva York, en torno a 1863.

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9781927970362.jpg1_In_his_plantation_suit.tif

12

Years a Slave

—— – ——

NARRATIVE

OF

SOLOMON NORTHUP,

A CITIZEN OF NEW-YORK,

KIDNAPPED IN WASHINGTON CITY IN

1841

,

AND

RESCUED IN

1853

,

FROM A COTTON PLANTATION NEAR THE RED RIVER IN LOUISIANA.

——

Vancouver:

engage books limited

2013

eBook-Copyright.jpg

Dedication

to

HARRIET BEECHER STOWE:

whose name,

throughout the world, is identified with the

great reform:

this narrative, affording another

Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin,

is respectfully dedicated

CONTENTS

Dedication

List of Illustrations

Poem

Editor’s Preface

Narrative of Solomon Northup

1 Introductory – Ancestry – The Northup Family – Birth and Parentage – Mintus Northup – Marriage with Anne Hampton – Good Resolutions – Champlain Canal – Rafting Excursion to Canada – Farming – The Violin – Cooking – Removal to Saratoga – Parker and Perry – Slaves – and Slavery – The Children – The Beginning of Sorrow

2 The two Strangers – The Circus Company – Departure from Saratoga – Ventriloquism and Legerdemain – Journey to New York – Free Papers – Brown and Hamilton – The haste to reach the Circus – Arrival in Washington – Funeral of Harrison – The Sudden Sickness – The Torment of Thirst – The Receding Light – Insensibility – Chains and Darkness

3 Painful Meditations – James H. Burch – Williams’ Slave Pen in Washington – The Lackey, Radburn – Assert my Freedom – The Anger of the Trader – The Paddle and Cat-o’-nine- tails – The Whipping – New Acquaintances – Ray, Williams, and Randall – Arrival of Little Emily and her Mother in the Pen – Maternal Sorrows – The Story of Eliza

4 Eliza’s Sorrows – Preparation to Embark – Driven Through the Streets of Washington – Hail, Columbia – The Tomb of Washington – Clem Ray – The Breakfast on the Steamer – The happy Birds – Aquia Creek – Fredericksburgh – Arrival in Richmond – Goodin and his Slave Pen – Robert, of Cincinnati – David and his Wife – Mary and Lethe – Clem’s Return – His subsequent Escape to Canada – The Brig Orleans – James H. Burch

5 Arrival at Norfolk – Frederick and Maria – Arthur, the Freeman – Appointed Steward – Jim, Cuffee, and Jenny – The Storm – Bahama Banks – The Calm – The Conspiracy – The Long Boat – The Small-Pox – Death of Robert – Manning, the Sailor – The Meeting in the Forecastle – The Letter – Arrival at New-Orleans – Arthur’s Rescue – Theophilus Free- man, the Consignee – Platt – First Night in the New-Orleans Slave Pen

6 Freeman’s Industry – Cleanliness and Clothes – Exercising in the Show Room – The Dance – Bob, the Fiddler – Arrival of Customers – Slaves Examined – The Old Gentleman of New-Orleans – Sale of David, Caroline, and Lethe – Parting of Randall and Eliza – Small-Pox – The Hospital – Recovery and Return to Freeman’s Slave Pen – The Purchaser of Eliza, Harry, and Platt – Eliza’s Agony on Parting from Little Emily

7 The Steamboat Rodolph – Departure from New-Orleans – William Ford – Arrival at Alexandra, on Red River – Resolutions – The Great Pine Woods – Wild Cattle – Martin’s Summer Residence – The Texas Road – Arrival at Master Ford’s – Rose – Mistress Ford – Sally and her Children – John, the Cook – Walter, Sam, and Antony – The Mills on Indian Creek – Sabbath Days – Sam’s Conversion – The Profit of Kindness – Rafting – Adam Taydem, the Little White Man – Cascalla and his Tribe – The Indian Ball – John M. Tibeats – The Storm approaching

8 Ford’s Embarrassments – The Sale to Tibeats – The Chattel Mortgage – Mistress Ford’s Plantation on Bayou Boeuf – Description of the Latter – Ford’s Brother-in-Law, Peter Tanner – Meeting with Eliza – She still Mourns for her Children – Ford’s Overseer, Chapin – Tibeats’ Abuse – The Keg of Nails – The First Fight with Tibeats – His Discomfiture and Castigation – The attempt to Hang me – Chapin’s Interference and Speech – Unhappy Reflections – Abrupt Departure of Tibeats, Cook, and Ramsey – Lawson and the Brown Mule – Message to the Pine Woods

9 The Hot Sun – Yet bound – The Cords sink into my Flesh – Chapin’s Uneasiness – Speculation – Rachel, and her Cup of Water – Suffering increases – The Happiness of Slavery – Arrival of Ford – He cuts the Cords which bind me, and takes the Rope from my Neck – Misery – The gathering of Slaves in Eliza’s Cabin – Their Kindness – Rachel Repeats the Occurrences of the Day – Lawson entertains his Companions with an Account of his Ride – Chapin’s Apprehensions of Tibeats – Hired to Peter Tanner – Peter expounds the Scriptures – Description of the Stocks

10 Return Tibeats – Impossibility of pleasing him – He attacks me with a Hatchet – The Struggle over the Broad Axe – The Temptation to Murder him – Escape across the Plantation – Observations from the Fence – Tibeats approaches, followed by the Hounds – They take my Track – Their loud Yells – They almost overtake me – I reach the Water – The Hounds confused – Moccasin Snakes – Alligators – Night in the Great Pacoudrie. Swamp – The Sounds of Life – North-West Course – Emerge into the Pine Woods – Slave and his Young Master – Arrival At Ford’s – Food and Rest

11 The Mistress’ Garden – The Crimson and Golden Fruit – Orange and Pomegranate Trees – Return to Bayou Boeuf – Master Ford’s Remarks on the way – The Meeting with Tibeats – His Account of the Chase – Ford censures his Brutality – Arrival At the Plantation – Astonishment of the Slaves on seeing me – The anticipated Flogging – Kentucky John Mr. Eldret, the Planter – Eldret’s Sam – Trip to the Big Cane Brake – The Tradition of Sutton’s Field – Forest Trees – Gnats and Mosquitoes – The Arrival of Black Women in the Big Cane – Lumber Women – Sudden Appearance of Tibeats – His Provoking Treatment – Visit to Bayou Boeuf – The Slave Pass – Southern Hospitality – The Last of Eliza – Sale to Edwin Epps

12 Personal Appearance of Epps – Epps, Drunk and Sober – A Glimpse of his History – Cotton Growing – The Mode of Ploughing and Preparing Ground – Of Planting, of Hoeing, of Picking, of Treating Raw Hands – The difference in Cotton Pickers – Patsey a remarkable one – Tasked according to Ability – Beauty of a Cotton Field – The Slave’s Labors – Fear of Approaching the Gin-House – Weighing – Chores – Cabin Life – The Corn Mill – The Uses of the Gourd – Fear of Oversleeping – Fear continually – Mode of Cultivating Corn – Sweet Potatoes – Fertility of the Soil – Fattening Hogs – Preserving Bacon – Raising Cattle – Shooting Matches – Garden Products – Flowers and Verdure

13 The Curious Axe-Helve – Symptoms of Approaching Illness – Continue to decline – The Whip ineffectual – Confined to the Cabin – Visit by Dr. Wines – Art – Partial Recovery – Failure at Cotton Picking – What may be heard on Epps’ Plantation – Lashes Graduated – Epps in a Whipping Mood – Epps in a Dancing Mood – Description of the Dance – Loss of Rest no Excuse – Epps’ Characteristics – Jim Burns – Removal from Huff Power to Bayou Boeuf – Description of Uncle Abram; of Wiley; of Aunt Phebe; of Bob, Henry, and Edward; of Patsey; with a Genealogical Account of each – Something of their Past History, and Peculiar Characteristics – Jealousy and Lust – Patsey, the Victim

14 Destruction of the Cotton Crop in 1845 – Demand for Laborers in St. Mary’s Parish – Sent thither in a Drove – The Order of the March – The Grand Coteau – Hired to Judge Turner on Bayou Salle – Appointed Driver in his Sugar House – Sunday Services – Slave Furniture; how obtained – The Party at Yarney’s, in Centreville – Good Fortune – The Captain of the Steamer – His Refusal to Secrete me – Return to Bayou Boeuf – Sight of Tibeats – Patsey’s Sorrows – Tumult and Contention – Hunting the Coon and Opossum – The Cunning of the latter – The Lean Condition of the Slave – Description of the Fish Trap – The Murder of the Man from Natchez – Epps Challenged by Marshall – The Influence of Slavery – The Love of Freedom

15 Labors on Sugar Plantations – The Mode of Planting Cane – of Hoeing Cane – Cane Ricks – Cutting Cane – Description of the Cane Knife – Winrowing – Preparing for Succeeding Crops – Description of Hawkins’ Sugar Mill on Bayou Boeuf – The Christmas Holidays – The Carnival Season of the Children of Bondage – The Christmas Supper – Red, the Favorite Color – The Violin, and the Consolation it Afforded – The Christmas Dance – Lively, the Coquette – Sam Roberts, and his Rivals – Slave Songs – Southern Life as it is – Three Days in the Year – The System of Marriage – Uncle Abram’s Contempt of Matrimony

16 Overseers – How they are Armed and Accompanied – The Homicide – His Execution At Marksville – Slave Drivers – Appointed Driver on removing to – Bayou Boeuf – Practice makes perfect – Epps’s Attempt to Cut Platt’s Throat – The Escape from him – Protected by the Mistress – Forbids Reading and Writing – Obtain a Sheet of Paper After Nine Years’ Effort – The Letter – Armsby, the Mean White – Partially confide in him – His Treachery – Epps’ Suspicions – How they were quieted – Burning the Letter – Armsby leaves the Bayou – Disappointment and Despair

17 Wiley disregards the counsels of Aunt Phebe and Uncle Abram, and is caught by the Patrollers – The Organization and Duties of the latter – Wiley Runs Away – Speculations in regard to him – His Unexpected Return – His Capture on the Red River, and Confinement in Alexandria Jail – Discovered by Joseph B. Roberts – Subduing Dogs in Anticipation of Escape – The Fugitives in the Great Pine Woods – Captured by Adam Taydem and the Indians – Augustus killed by Dogs – Nelly, Eldret’s Slave Woman – The Story of Celeste – The Concerted Movement – Lew Cheney, the Traitor – The Idea of Insurrection

18 O’Niel, the Tanner – Conversation with Aunt Phebe overheard – Epps in the Tanning Business – Stabbing of Uncle Abram – The Ugly Wound – Epps is Jealous – Patsey is Missing – Her Return from Shaw’s – Harriet, Shaw’s Black Wife – Epps Enraged – Patsey denies his Charges – She is Tied Down Naked to Four Stakes – The Inhuman Flogging – Flaying of Patsey – The Beauty of the Day – The Bucket of Salt Water – The Dress stiff with Blood – Patsey grows Melancholy – Her Idea of God and Eternity – Of Heaven and Freedom – The Effect of Slave-Whipping – Epps’ Oldest Son – The Child is Father to the Man

19 Avery, on Bayou Rouge – Peculiarity of Dwellings – Epps builds a New House – Bass, the Carpenter – His Noble Qualities – His Personal Appearance and Eccentricities – Bass and Epps discuss the Question of Slavery – Epps’ Opinion of Bass – I make myself known to him – Our Conversation – His Surprise – The Midnight Meeting on the Bayou Bank Bass’ Assurances – Declares War against-Slavery – Why I did not Disclose my History – Bass writes Letters – Copy of his Letter to Messrs. Parker and Perry – The Fever of Suspense – Disappointments – Bass endeavors to cheer me – My Faith in him

20 Bass faithful to his word – His Arrival on Christmas Eve – The Difficulty of Obtaining An Interview – The Meeting in the Cabin – Non-arrival of the Letter – Bass announces his Intention to proceed North – Christmas – Conversation between Epps and Bass – Young Mistress McCoy, the Beauty of Bayou Boeuf – The "Ne plus ultra" of Dinners – Music and Dancing – Presence of the Mistress – Her Exceeding Beauty – The Last Slave Dance – William Pierce – Oversleep myself – The Last Whipping – Despondency – Cold Morning – Epps’ Threats – The Passing Carriage – Strangers Approaching through the Cotton-Field – Last Hour on Bayou Boeuf

21 The Letter reaches Saratoga – Is forwarded to Anne – Is laid before Henry B. Northup – The Statute of May 14, 1840 – Its provisions – Anne’s Memorial to the Governor – The affidavits Accompanying it – Senator Soule’s Letter – Departure of the Agent Appointed by the Governor – Arrival at Marksville – The Hon. John P. Waddill – The Conversation on New-York Politics – It suggests a Fortunate Idea – The Meeting with Bass – The Secret out – Legal Proceedings instituted Departure of Northup and the Sheriff from Marksville for Bayou Boeuf – Arrangements on the Way – Reach Epps’ Plantation – Discover his Slaves in the Cotton-Field – The Meeting – The Farewell

22 Arrival in New-Orleans – Glimpse of Freeman – Genois, the Recorder – His Description of Solomon – Reach Charleston Interrupted by Custom House Officers – Pass through Richmond – Arrival in Washington – Burch Arrested – Shekels and Thorn – Their Testimony – Burch acquitted – Arrest of Solomon – Burch withdraws the Complaint – The Higher Tribunal – Departure from Washington – Arrival at Sandy Hill – Old Friends and Familiar Scenes – Proceed to Glens Falls – Meeting with Anne, Margaret, and Elizabeth – Solomon Northup Staunton – Incidents, – Conclusion

Roaring River Song

Appendix

Interviews with Former Slaves

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1  Portrait of Solomon in his Plantation Suit

2  Scene in the Slave Pen at Washington

3  Separation of Eliza and her Last Child

4  Chapin Rescues Solomon From Hanging

5  The Staking out and Flogging of the Girl Patsey

6  Scene in the Cotton Field, and Solomon’s Delivery

7  Arrival Home, and First Meeting with his Wife and Children

8  Roaring River Sheet Music

POEM

"Such dupes are men to custom, and so prone

To reverence what is ancient, and can plead

A course of long observance for its use,

That even servitude, the worst of ills,

Because delivered down from sire to son,

Is kept and guarded as a sacred thing.

But is it fit or can it bear the shock

Of rational discussion, that a man

Compounded and made up, like other men,

Of elements tumultuous, in whom lust

And folly in as ample measure meet,

As in the bosom of the slave he rules,

Should be a despot absolute, and boast

Himself the only freeman of his land?"

Cowper

.

EDITOR’S PREFACE

When the editor commenced the preparation of the following narrative, he did not suppose it would reach the size of this volume. In order, however, to present all the facts which have been communicated to him, it has seemed necessary to extend it to its present length.

Many of the statements contained in the following pages are corroborated by abundant evidence – others rest entirely upon Solomon’s assertion. That he has adhered strictly to the truth the editor, at least, who has had an opportunity of detecting any contradiction or discrepancy in his statements, is well satisfied. He has invariably repeated the same story without deviating in the slightest particular, and has also carefully perused the manuscript, dictating an alteration wherever the most trivial inaccuracy has appeared.

It was Solomon’s fortune, during his captivity, to be owned by several masters. The treatment he received while at the Pine Woods shows that among slaveholders there are men of humanity as well of cruelty. Some of them are spoken of with emotions of gratitude – others in a spirit of bitterness. It is believed that the following account of his experience on Bayou Boeuf presents a correct picture of Slavery in all its lights, and shadows, as it now exists in that locality. Unbiased, as he conceives, by any prepossessions or prejudices, the only object of the editor has been to give a faithful history of Solomon Northup’s life, as he received it from his lips.

In the accomplishment of that object, he trusts he has succeeded, notwithstanding the numerous faults of style and of expression it may be found to contain.

David Wilson.

Whitehall, N. Y

., May,

1853

.

NARRATIVE OF

Solomon Northup

—————

CHAPTER ONE

Introductory – Ancestry – The Northup Family – Birth and Parentage – Mintus Northup – Marriage with Anne Hampton – Good Resolutions – Champlain Canal – Rafting Excursion to Canada – Farming – The Violin – Cooking – Removal to Saratoga – Parker and Perry – Slaves and Slavery – The Children – The Beginning of Sorrow

Having been born a freeman, and for more than thirty years enjoyed the blessings of liberty in a free State-and having at the end of that time been kidnapped and sold into Slavery, where I remained, until happily rescued in the month of January, 1853, after a bondage of twelve years – it has been suggested that an account of my life and fortunes would not be uninteresting to the public.

Since my return to liberty, I have not failed to perceive the increasing interest throughout the Northern States, in regard to the subject of Slavery. Works of fiction, professing to portray its features in their more pleasing as well as more repugnant aspects, have been circulated to an extent unprecedented, and, as I understand, have created a fruitful topic of comment and discussion.

I can speak of Slavery only so far as it came under my own observation – only so far as I have known and experienced it in my own person. My object is, to give a candid and truthful statement of facts: to repeat the story of my life, without exaggeration, leaving it for others to determine, whether even the pages of fiction present a picture of more cruel wrong or a severer bondage.

As far back as I have been able to ascertain, my ancestors on the paternal side were slaves in Rhode Island. They belonged to a family by the name of Northup, one of whom, removing to the State of New York, settled at Hoosic, in Rensselaer county. He brought with him Mintus Northup, my father. On the death of this gentleman, which must have occurred some fifty years ago, my father became free, having been emancipated by a direction in his will.

Henry B. Northup, Esq., of Sandy Hill, a distinguished counselor at law, and the man to whom, under Providence, I am indebted for my present liberty, and my return to the society of my wife and children, is a relative of the family in which my forefathers were thus held to service, and from which they took the name I bear. To this fact may be attributed the persevering interest he has taken in my behalf.

Sometime after my father’s liberation, he removed to the town of Minerva, Essex county, N. Y., where I was born, in the month of July, 1808. How long he remained in the latter place I have not the means of definitely ascertaining. From thence he removed to Granville, Washington county, near a place known as Slyborough, where, for some years, he labored on the farm of Clark Northup, also a relative of his old master; from thence he removed to the Alden farm, at Moss Street, a short distance north of the village of Sandy Hill; and from thence to the farm now owned by Russel Pratt, situated on the road leading from Fort Edward to Argyle, where he continued to reside until his death, which took place on the 22d day of November, 1829. He left a widow and two children – myself, and Joseph, an elder brother. The latter is still living in the county of Oswego, near the city of that name; my mother died during the period of my captivity.

Though born a slave, and laboring under the disadvantages to which my unfortunate race is subjected, my father was a man respected for his industry and integrity, as many now living, who well remember him, are ready to testify. His whole life was passed in the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, never seeking employment in those more menial positions, which seem to be especially allotted to the children of Africa. Besides giving us an education surpassing that ordinarily bestowed upon children in our condition, he acquired, by his diligence and economy, a sufficient property qualification to entitle him to the right of suffrage. He was accustomed to speak to us of his early life; and although at all times cherishing the warmest emotions of kindness, and even of affection towards the family, in whose house he had been a bondsman, he nevertheless comprehended the system of Slavery, and dwelt with sorrow on the degradation of his race. He endeavored to imbue our minds with sentiments of morality, and to teach us to place our, trust and confidence in Him who regards the humblest as well as the highest of his creatures. How often since that time has the recollection of his paternal counsels occurred to me, while lying in a slave hut in the distant and sickly regions of Louisiana, smarting with the undeserved wounds which an inhuman master had inflicted, and longing only for the grave which had covered him, to shield me also from the lash of the oppressor. In the church yard at Sandy Hill, an humble stone marks the spot where he reposes, after having worthily performed the duties appertaining to the lowly sphere wherein God had appointed him to walk.

Up to this period I had been principally engaged with my father in the labors of the farm. The leisure hours allowed me were generally either employed over my books, or playing on the violin – an amusement which was the ruling passion of my youth. It has also been the source of consolation since, affording, pleasure to the simple beings with whom my lot was cast, and beguiling my own thoughts, for many hours, from the painful contemplation of my fate.

On Christmas day, 1829, I was married to Anne Hampton, a colored girl then living in the vicinity of our residence. The ceremony was performed at Fort Edward, by Timothy Eddy, Esq., a magistrate of that town, and still a prominent citizen of the place. She had resided a long time at Sandy Hill, with Mr. Baird, proprietor of the Eagle Tavern, and also in the family of Rev. Alexander Proudfit, of Salem. This gentleman for many years had presided over the Presbyterian society at the latter place, and was widely distinguished for his learning and piety. Anne still holds in grateful remembrance the exceeding kindness and the excellent counsels of that good man. She is not able to determine the exact line of her descent, but the blood of three races mingles in her veins. It is difficult to tell whether the red, white, or black predominates. The union of them all, however, in her origin, has given her a singular but pleasing expression, such as is rarely to be seen. Though somewhat resembling, yet she cannot properly be styled a quadroon, a class to which, I have omitted to mention, my mother belonged.

I had just now passed the period of my minority, having reached the age of twenty-one years in the month of July previous. Deprived of the advice and assistance of my father, with a wife dependent upon me for support, I resolved to enter upon a life of industry; and notwithstanding the obstacle of color, and the consciousness of my lowly state, indulged in pleasant dreams of a good time coming, when the possession of some humble habitation, with a few surrounding acres, should reward my labors, and bring me the means of happiness and comfort.

From the time of my marriage to this day the love I have borne my wife has been sincere and unabated; and only those who have felt the glowing tenderness a father cherishes for his offspring, can appreciate my affection for the beloved children which have since been born to us. This much I deem appropriate and necessary to day, in order that those who read these pages, may comprehend the poignancy of those sufferings I have been doomed to bear.

Immediately upon our marriage we commenced house-keeping, in the old yellow building then standing at the southern extremity of Fort Edward village, and which has since been transformed into a modern mansion, and lately occupied by Captain Lathrop. It is known as the Fort House. In this building the courts were sometime held after the organization of the county. It was also occupied by Burgoyne in 1777, being situated near the old Fort on the left bank of the Hudson.

During the winter I was employed with others repairing the Champlain Canal, on that section over which William Van Nortwick was superintendent. David McEachron had the immediate charge of the men in whose company I labored. By the time the canal opened in the spring, I was enabled, from the savings of my wages, to purchase a pair of horses, and other things necessarily required in the business of navigation.

Having hired several efficient hands to assist me, I entered into contracts for the transportation of large rafts of timber from Lake Champlain to Troy. Dyer Beckwith and a Mr. Bartemy, of Whitehall, accompanied me on several trips. During the season I became perfectly familiar with the art and mysteries of rafting – a knowledge which afterwards enabled me to render profitable service to a worthy master, and to astonish the simple-witted lumbermen on the banks of the Bayou Boeuf.

In one of my voyages down Lake Champlain, I was induced to make a visit to Canada. Repairing to Montreal, I visited the cathedral and other places of interest in that city, from whence I continued my excursion to Kingston and other towns, obtaining a knowledge of localities, which was also of service to me afterwards, as will appear towards the close of this narrative.

Having completed my contracts on the canal satisfactorily to myself and to my employer, and not wishing to remain idle, now that the navigation of the canal was again suspended, I entered into another contract with Medad Gunn, to cut a large quantity of wood. In this business I was engaged during the winter of 1831-32.

With the return of spring, Anne and myself conceived the project of taking a farm in the neighborhood. I had been accustomed from earliest youth to agricultural labors, and it was an occupation congenial to my tastes. I accordingly entered into arrangements for a part of the old Alden farm, on which my father formerly resided. With one cow, one swine, a yoke of fine oxen I had lately purchased of Lewis Brown, in Hartford, and other personal property and effects, we proceeded to our new home in Kingsbury. That year I planted twenty-five acres of corn, sowed large fields of oats, and commenced farming upon as large a scale as my utmost

Reviews for Twelve Years a Slave

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Solomon Northup was born a free man in New York State. At the age of 33 he was kidnapped in Washington D.C. and placed in an underground slave pen. Northup was transported by ship to New Orleans where he was sold into slavery. He spent the next 12 years working as a carpenter, driver, and cotton picker. This narrative reveals how Northup survived the harsh conditions of slavery, including smallpox, lashings, and an attempted hanging. Solomon Northup was among a select few who were freed from slavery.My Thoughts:The description of the book really tells the reader what to expect with this true account of the authors experiences. The story is really harrowing and it is awful what human beings can do to each other.I wouldn’t say that the book is an enjoyable one because of its content and at times it was awful. I especially found the floggings terrible and worse of all was what happened to Patsey. After that event I found that I couldn’t stand anymore so I was skipping towards the end just to see how the author did find his freedom again.A very harrowing tale but at times very compelling but I wouldn’t say it was a nice read. I am glad that I did read this book albeit it hard at times to read the content.

[tea58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is no question that Solomon Northup is a hero of American History. This Slave narrative, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, by SOLOMON NORTHUP, is unforgettable. I think the story is not only amazing but also miraculous. When I met Solomon Northup, he was a slave. Solomon Northup is born a free man. He lives in Upstate New York. He has a wife named Anne and three children. He is a hard working man and a honest man. Until one day his whole life changes. It is difficult to believe there are indeed rascals and scoundrels on the earth and in the vicinity where you live especially when you've been taught all the bad men or evil masters are down South. On this particular day, Mr. Northup befriends two men. Two men who will take him South and sell him to a Southern planter. Solomon Northup had no idea of their ugly plans. For twelve years Solomon Northup does not mention he is a free man. He works harder than a dog. He is beaten. He is treated like he was born into slavery. I could not see how his life could ever change, how he could regroup from such a trial and test. I can't imagine losing my whole family in one day. Never hearing whether they are dead or alive for twelve long years. This man, now not a man but an animal, to his slave holders, continues to struggle through each day. I think he had quite a bit of faith. He never praises himself in the narrative. He does finally call himself upright. How does he look upon slavery? He calls it a "peculiar institution." Other than that he will not judge this way of life in any way. He will leave it to other men and women. Along with Solomon Northup, I met the other slaves around him. I had the chance to read about them. One woman still lives in my head. She had two children. She begged, screamed, begged, "please don't sell my children from me." Those who know about American slavery can guess what happened to her and her children. I could hear her voice in my head because it was my voice. If any man would have taken my children from me to an unknown place, I would have died. I would not have had the fortitude to live on. But how many men and women did live through those days without hope of seeing or hearing their children again? Only an inhumane person could do such a thing to another person. This woman's story is a testament to the horrors of slavery. It made me think about my values in life. I now believe more fully nothing is impossible in life. Perhaps this is why people say the truth is stranger than fiction. Number two is that I must always keep putting one foot in front of the other foot as I journey through the adventures, unwanted adventures, of my life. I must also remember my scars from life whether emotional or physical in no way touch what the slave ancestors lived each and every day of their short lives. Strange, one man's narrative has the power two and a half centuries later to give hope to people of another generation. His voice speaks from the grave. He still lives because his story lives. His last wish was to lie in the church graveyard and finally go home to the Lord. Little did he know how much his life would mean to future old and young people. It is a disservice if these slave narratives are not read in our schools and discussed with relevance.I have been moved by other slave narratives: for example Frederick Douglass's narrative and The Incidents in a Slave Girl's Life. Truly, I think this one, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, is my favorite. Why? Simply because he already had that most precious gift, freedom. He had experienced it. Not just wished for it. He had it. It was stolen from him. How in the world must he have felt? And that is what made me want to read this narrative. I named two lesson from the narrative by Solomon Northup. There are more than any two I named. As I remember Northup, I will not forget Epps, his wife or the other slaves who worked around him. The slaves had no idea he was a free man until the day Henry Northup came to pick him up and take him back to New York State and his family. Therefore, Solomon Northup taught me the importance of knowing the power of silence at the right hour.As the young people say, "he kept it "real" for twelve long years. That's a mighty long time to give free labor while you are treated as less than a man in every way. In the end, Epps still called Northup "that d______d nigger." He didn't change one bit in his thinking. As a matter of fact he headed out on his horse to find a way to stop this foolish behavior. Had the world gone nuts? To Epps and white men like him, yes, the world was losing its way. Their workers in a few year would be set free. The Land of Cotton was in danger. Who else would do such work with so little food and clothing while being beater with whips?If only the "men or masters" around Northup, had looked at that last name. It would have told them life was going to change for the better and the North would help it happen. When it begun to happen, the Civil War, there would be no way for the slaves to go but "up." Up in their geography and Up in their thinking..america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/subject-of-12yearsaslave150yearsinwronggrave.html

[eclecticdodo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The true story of a black American freeman in the 1840s-50s who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the southern states. After enduring 12 years of servitude he was eventually freed after managing to contact a relative of the man who had set his ancestors free. The experiences he recounts are both shocking and moving, though he himself notes at the end that he may have given an overly positive impression of life as a slave. It was a difficult read, but well worth it. His faith through all circumstances is as inspiring as is disgusting the way certain owners misused scripture to support their barbaric treatment. Although he makes reference to the abolitionist movement he is careful not to overstep the role alotted him as a black man in those days by presuming to preach to the reader, instead leaving them to draw their own conclusions. I certainly don't think I could have been so diplomatic if I were in his place.

[trayceebee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While this story is alarmingly violent and more horrible because it's a true story, it was easier, for me, reading it, than it was to watch the movie... Somehow, knowing I can put the book down when it becomes unbearably sad, scary, aggravating... that makes it easier for me.

[Juan Lautaro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rolex watch (Translated from Spanish)

[Rossysa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

No man, in his full capacities, can remain indifferent to the "queen of fears." Every living being values its life; the worm that crawls on the ground would fight with all its strength for it. Its freedom. (Translated from Spanish)

[Isaromeroq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It tells the harsh reality of slavery never seen before... With situations that make you wonder to what extent the cruelty of humanity can go. (Translated from Spanish)

[Pandora95 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really had no idea about the strategies that were being carried out in those times, but this book illustrates the history very well. (Translated from Spanish)

[melydia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A free black man in New York is kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana, where he remains for a dozen years before he is rescued. It pulls no punches when describing the horrors of slavery, but what really struck me is how hard Northup worked to see the best in everyone. He does put a little more detail into the act of farming cotton and the description of stocks than I found strictly necessary, but his purpose was to educate his contemporaries about the realities of slavery, setting the record straight. He goes to great pains to give evidence that his story is true, and while he does speak about the wrongness of slavery as an institution, he is reasonable rather than preachy. Fascinating story.

[greeniezona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was way ahead on reading Battle Cry of Freedom for my Civil War reading group, so I decided to take a break and read something related. I'd been meaning to read this since seeing the heart-breaking movie, and as I'd found a nice copy at my favorite used bookstore last year, this seemed an obvious choice.

I thought the movie did a fairly good job of keeping faithful to the book, so most of the horrors of this story were already familiar. So what impressed me most in this reading were Northup's remarkable insights into the people around him -- both the slaves who have known such treatment their entire lives, but also the slave owners. Some of his observations of the very real cost to their humanity by the brutalities they have inflicted and/or witnessed as members of the slave-holding class struck me. Northup wasn't just a man thrust into extraordinary circumstances -- he was clearly himself extraordinary, as a writer and observer, to be able to produce such an account.

[cdiemert-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This unforgettable memoir was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. This is the true story of Solomon Northup, who was born and raised as a freeman in New York. He lived the American dream, with a house and a loving family - a wife and two kids. Then one day he was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the deep south. These are the true accounts of his twelve hard years as a slave - many believe this memoir is even more graphic and disturbing than the film. His extraordinary journey proves the resiliency of hope and the human spirit despite the most grueling and formidable of circumstances.

[librarycin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars

In the mid-1800s, Solomon Northup was a free black man from New York. He was married and had three kids. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana. This is his story.

I think I made the mistake of listening to the audio. Even worse, my library had the choice of three different audio books, with three different narrators. I chose the narrator I recognized (though I've not listened to him narrate a book before): Louis Gossett, Jr. Unfortunately, the book rarely held my attention. It did some, and the parts I paid attention to were ok, but overall, I missed out on too much of the book to really “like” it.

[mhanover10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This audio book brought Solomon’s voice through Louis Gossett Jr. as he read the book to me in my car. Mr. Gossett Jr. did a fantastic job bringing the emotion through making Solomon very real to me. This book was heart breaking, gut wrenching, and opened my eyes even further to another part of slavery. I have not watched the movie yet as I wanted to read the book first.
First of all, the concept of slavery just boggles my mind to begin with, it always has. The fact that white people thought they had the right to own another human has always baffled me and even more after listening to this book. It showed that there were a lot of bullies back then as there still are today. The brutal lashings after being stripped down and secured to the ground, the sorrow of children being taken from their mother, I can’t imagine anyone going through it. To be ripped away from what you know and love and then beaten to almost your death, there are no words.
I still can’t believe slavery was abolished in 1865. That wasn’t very long ago yet the youth of today don’t realize how recently it happened. It chills me to think that just a hundred years before I was born this was going on. This book should be part of the American History curriculum for every High School. I know Solomon will be with me for the rest of my life.

[memccauley6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those books everyone should read. Northrup’s account of his kidnapping and twelve years of enslavement is made even more poignant by the matter-of-fact style of his narrative.

[jerseygirl21-977813 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read the book because I wanted to see the movie but after reading the book I don't think I could handle the movie. The subject of Slavery just upsets me so much! As far as this book Mr Northup did a great job in relating his experience.

[terris-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just....Excellent and Amazing!!

[fjdid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

b h j jhjhhh h h u u u j j j

[justindtapp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy reading books, especially autobiographies, from the 1800s--this one published in 1853 and was a bestseller at the time. The movie made from this book is nominated for several Oscars. It bothers me that we're so ignorant of our history that we have to "rediscover" books from just 150 years ago. This book is available for free since it's way past copyright, but you can buy an updated annotated version by some professors who researched the history. The version I listened to was read by Louis Gossett, Jr. which made it great. Solomon Northrup's story was supposedly used as the historical basis for Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.

*spoilers below*

Northrup was born a free black man and lived in New York where he owned property and made a good living for himself and his family. One day, some travelers offer to pay him for his services in playing the violin and convince him to travel to New York City, where he obtains legal proof of his freedom, and onward to Washington, D.C. where Northrup is kidnapped and cruelly sold into slavery, within sight of the Capitol; the irony of this is lost on no one.

He is transported to New Orleans and recounts the sad tales of other slaves along his journey. For example, one woman was the slave mistress of a master who seemingly had loved her and promised to free her. When she thought that day had arrived, she was instead delivered to an auction with her children, and she is to be resold in New Orleans. She is desperate to keep her children with her and her new purchaser offers to buy her daughter, but her owner will not sell her because she is beautiful and will fetch a large sum from men for her use when she's older.

Northrup is able to sneak a letter off of his slave transport, which reaches his family in New York (he later learned) but they are unable to do anything without more information on his whereabouts. This is the last letter he is able to send for the next 12 years as it was forbidden for slaves to get access to pen and paper, and illegal for a post office to mail a letter from a slave without his master's consent. It's a crime to kidnap and sell a free man, so his story could get many in trouble (and cause later masters to lose possession of him) for which he fears his own life. Northrup is given the name of Platt and lives by that name for 12 years, keeping his real story secret. This also hinders any chance of recovery by his family.

He is purchased by a "good, Christian man" and Northrup remarks at the way slavery is seen by Christians in the North as anathema but in the South they see no problem with it; his first master actually is kind to his slaves and reads Scripture to them on Sundays-- Northrup enjoys working for him and endeavors to please him. Reading and thinking recently about the theology of work, the way a man can take pride in his own work no matter the situation is very instructive for me. Northrup observes that the better slaves are treated, the harder and more earnestly they work; but always, they long for freedom. They know there are places where there is no slavery and it's a heavenly dream to them.

When the kind master falls on hard financial times, Northrup is mortgaged and then sold to a notoriously harsh carpenter who twice tries to kill him-- and Northrup responds by beating the man almost to death the first time, running away back to his original master the next. Northrup was able to escape only because he had learned to swim in the North, whereas it was forbidden for slaves to learn to swim in the South. He serves another master (Epps) for ten years, and Epps, like most masters, treat their slaves cruelly.

He encounters everything from Indians to Cajuns to runaway slaves in Louisiana and engages in various occupations on a few plantations, being repeatedly resold or leased out. He develops a reputation everywhere he goes of being remarkable-- both for his beating of previous taskmaster, and to his intelligent work. He recounts the daily fears of working the plantation during cotton season; whippings in the fields for small mistakes, whippings at the gin for bringing in too much or too little cotton, the fear of being late, or of going hungry. He details the processes of cotton, corn, and sugar harvesting and processing. He recounts the fate of slave escapes and rebellions-- always ending badly. If you've seen Roots or really any PBS documentary discussing slave life, nothing in this book will shock you. There are a couple of grotesque scenes that vividly portray the depravity of men given license to do as they wish with other men-- one act which Northrup rightly describes as "demonic." What you glean from it is the perspective of a man who was always aware of what freedom was-- like a prisoner unjustly imprisoned with little hope of release.

Some new details that stood out to me about slave life are that slaves were usually given 3-6 days off at Christmas, but worked the other 360 days. At Christmas, plantation owners would host a large feast for the slaves, and the slaves would have a lively dancing party that was looked forward to the whole year. They were also traditionally given a pass to go where they pleased for those days, and most slaves took time to visit loved ones on other plantations. Any work done in the Christmas season (and on Sundays year round) had to be compensated by law-- and that's how slaves were able to afford food and other necessities not provided. Solomon goes 12 years without sleeping on a bed, just floors with a blanket used for horses. Most slaveowning households had a tense relationship between the wife and the slaveowner's slave mistress. This plays out on several occasions in the book.

In Why Nations Fail (my review), Acemoğlu and Robinson point out that the South lagged behind the North in terms of patents filed during the slave plantation period--there was little innovation. This is evident in that Solomon modifies tools and practices based on simple things he had seen in the North and these are huge innovations on the plantations that his masters praise him for. Unfortunately, it makes him too valuable to sell to the one abolitionist he encounters-- a man named Bass.

Bass is a Canadian journeyman carpenter who finds work on the plantations. At one point he lectures Northrup's master on the equality of the races and how ungodly slavery is. Overhearing this, Northrup confides in Bass and Bass devotes his life to helping emancipate him, primarily by mailing letters to Northrup's acquaintances in the North. The Governor of New York is enlisted (by law) to begin the process of retrieving Northrup, and eventually an emissary is sent to find Northrup. It was providential that the emissary is directed to Bass just before he sets out on a long journey, and they are then able to find Northrup's plantation. Northrup's master and other authorities fight the extradition, but Northrup is freed and quickly returns to Washington, D.C. where his kidnapper is prosecuted-- and the case is dismissed for lack of evidence and due to witnesses who contradict Northrup. Northrup hopes his book's publication is some vindication, I believe.

At last, Northrup returns home. Truly remarkable providence that he encountered Bass and that things worked themselves out as they did. Northrup ends the book by remarking that doubtless hundreds of other free men are enslaved in the South. One marvels that it would be another decade and hundreds of thousands of American lives lost before the institution would be ended.

This is a 5 star book.

[tiffanyak_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an extremely powerful and heart-wrenching book. If you're familiar with the movie, you know the story already. The book just has more to it, such as details of the workings of various plantation elements, how holidays were celebrated in slavery, and lots more really interesting stuff. His story is hugely impactful, and the details he gives are plentiful. It can be very disturbing at times, as it does contain a lot of violent scenes in depictions of how slaves were treated, but it is well worth reading, even if you have seen the movie already.

[hhaddad1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book a few months ago and I was just so fascinated with it. It is a book that you do not want to put down. It reveals the harsh reality of what slaves had to put up with. It focuses on the life of Solomon Northup, a former slave who was once a free man but kidnapped into slavery for 12 long years. This book takes you through his enitre journey of being kidnapped until returning home. He is finally freed when he is able to write to family and friends and they come to prove who he is and that he is a free man. This book is for adult readers, in my opinion.

[jimocracy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although one cannot inherently trust everything in an autobiography, this was a compelling tale. I can only imagine how I would feel if I were ever kidnapped and forced into slavery but I certainly sympathize with the author in his plight.

Some chapters of the book bordered on tedium; giving detailed accounts of a slave's existence but, I understood the author's need to give an account in such a way. And of course, the boring parts of the story were offset with all the drama and excitement of the whole story.

[sandra.k.heinzman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this free from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a narrative! Solomon Northup gave a first hand account of what it was really like to be a slave in Louisiana in the mid 1800's, prior to the Civil War. He was obviously very well educated, as his writing and vocabulary surpasses what is the "norm" today. I both listened to the audio book, narrated by Louis Gossett, Jr., and read the printed book. I loved the audio best, however. It made me sick to hear how badly slaves were usually treated, like pieces of furniture, less than dogs, and for no reason, and at the whim of their masters. Yes, slavery was a way of life in the south, but it was a horrible way of life for the slave. I now want to find out more about Solomon and his family, what happened after he regained his freedom, how long did he live, and what became of his family and descendants. It's so very interesting, and is don't know if there are any other true stories written about slavery by slaves. I highly recommend this book, and now want to re-watch the movie (which I saw before reading the book, when it first came out).

[junebedell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A compelling read. Have read the 'Enhanced Edition' by Dr. Sue Eakins and am so impressed by the detail of her research of this historical figure. Highly recommend.

[george_hamilton-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A gripping real life account of Solomon Northup, kidnapped from Washington city in 1841 and transported into slavery in Louisiana, where he spent 12 years before being freed. It is a moving account of his sufferings, but there were others such as Patsy—a slave whose master could not control his carnal desire for her, and whose mistress then had him punish her for it—who had it worse, and I wanted to sweep her up into my arms and take her away from all that. It surprised me that Solomon felt the need to include an appendix with copies of the legal documentation that proved he was a free man. To me this seemed to conflict with his notion that slavery was a legal and moral abomination. Nevertheless, history doesn’t get any more real than this.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of a free black man, Solomon Northup of New York, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the deep south before the Civil War. He tells of how he was tricked into going South, the trials he faced laboring as a slave for 12 years, and how he finally regained his freedom.

[amusedbythis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very powerful memoir of a free man who is sold into slavery in the South. It is a very moving telling of the horrors of slavery.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Solomon Northup, a free man all his life, was kidnapped and sold into slavery, being transported to the deep South of Louisiana's rural bayous. He recounts his twelve years of forced servitude, 10 years of which were under the cruel master Edwin Epps, and his eventual rescue.

I confess I had never heard of Northup, his plight, or his book until the recent movie was released. I had no interest in viewing the movie as I felt it would be too intense - both with the violence and the emotion. However, when the book came up as a choice for my book club, I was happy to vote for it and am glad to have done so now that I've read it. While there is certainly detestable violence and other situations that evoke strong emotions, the book allowed some distance that I feel a movie would not.

Northup writes his account in a manner I found very effective. Although he had every reason to be outraged by his lot in life, he managed to write in a very reasoned tone and factual way. He lays out the account with a great deal of circumspect, making sure to describe only those things he was absolutely certain of and to make note of when he was simply making a supposition. He generally asked - sometimes directly - the reader to make his or her own opinions based on what he was reporting. Northup also makes great allowances for many of the slave owners of his acquaintance, noting how the culture they grew up in allowed them to be otherwise good people who were blinded to how the institution of slavery was an inhumane system. He elegantly says:
"It is not the fault of the slaveholder ... so much as it is the fault of the system under which he lives. He cannot withstand the influence of habit and associations that surround him. Taught from earliest childhood, by all that he sees and hears ... he will not be apt to change his opinions in maturer years. There may be humane masters, as there certainly are inhuman ones - there may be slaves well-clothed, well-fed, and happy, as there surely are those half-clad, half-starved and miserable; nevertheless, the institution that tolerates such wrong and inhumanity as I have witnessed, is a cruel, unjust, and barbarous one."
This kind of forgiveness shows just how kind and educated a person Northup was and makes it all the more potent when he describes someone like Epps as savage and brutal; we know that Solomon is not choosing his words lightly when he defines his master as such.

As an outsider to the institution of slavery until he was forced into it and as a Northerner by birth, Northup spends some time describing various things about his life in Louisiana, including the climate, the planting and picking of cotton, etc. Given that this was written long before the days of Google, let alone easy travel, it is perfectly logically that he should describe such minutiae to people who would be unfamiliar with it. Some modern readers may find this level of detail off-putting, but I appreciated that he took the time to describe everything so that it gave a very clear picture. The book also contains appendices including legal documents regarding how Solomon was eventually rescued from slavery through a legislative act of New York State.

All in all, this was a very interesting read about a sad and dark chapter of one man's life - and one country's history. I'd very much recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. history in general or African-American history.

[stuart_taylor-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The name Solomon Northup meant nothing to me until I saw the film, Twelve Years a Slave.

I don’t usually read a written work after seeing a film adaptation, but in this harrowing instance I made an exception.

Why? Two reasons really. One, because having witnessed a director’s eye view of the story, I wanted to hear the voice of the man who had been kidnapped a free man and sold as a chattel into bondage. Two, Slavery is an age-old human outrage which is as much a vile horror in today’s world as it was during Solomon Northup’s day and across the world for millennia before that.

Solomon’s account shines as the work of an educated and talented man, whose downfall begins when he trusts the wrong people. Believing he could supplement the household income - during the temporary absence of his family – by accepting a two week job, playing the violin; he is lured by two villains to Washington, where he is drugged. Regaining consciousness he finds himself manacled hand and foot in a dark cellar, and stripped of clothes and possessions.
On protesting his status as a free man, Northup suffers a near fatal beating by two strangers, and learns that the men he trusted with the promise of work had tricked him and sold him into slavery.

On leaving the confines of the cellar to be transported, with a small group of unfortunates, to the Southern cotton plantations, the author glimpses the distant outline of the White House, a sad irony not lost to him.

I didn’t enjoy this book. It was far more detailed than the film, which I also didn’t enjoy. I felt both had an essential message however, and both gave testament that there are no depths below which the human animal will stoop when dealing with his fellow man.

[lamour_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Born a freeman in New York State in 1808, married with three children, Soloman was offered a short term job in Washington, DC to play his violin at a circus. However, he was drugged and shipped to Louisiana as a slave. For 12 years he worked on several plantations on the Red River recording names, places and conditions in his head all the while trying to find some way to communicate his whereabouts to his family and friends in New York.

Eventually a Canadian working as a handyman in the area who had shown strong views about the injustice of slavery mailed a letter home for him which resulted in the Governor of New York sending an agent to Louisiana to free him.

I had thought that this would be a difficult read because it was written in the 1850`s but I was pleasantly surprised to find Solomon was an excellent writer and his narrative flowed along quickly. As with any book that describes slavery or injustice to fellow humans such as the Holocaust, one wonders at man`s ability to mistreat his fellow human beings. In the case of slavery in the southern USA, it is how white religious men & woman justified it with the Bible that always rankles me.

[beckyhaase · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

12 YEARS A SLAVE by Solomon Northup

I never thought I would say this but …. Go see the movie. The story is important but the book is ponderous. The writing is old fashioned enough to make it difficult for the modern reader. I was glad I read this on my e-reader so I could easily look up all the many “archaic” words. The punctuation also forces the reader to slow down and re-read portions to understand what is being said in this autobiography.
The book relates the experiences of a free black man who is kidnapped by slavers in Washington, DC and taken to Louisiana where he is sold into slavery. It takes 12 long years for him to be found, released from bondage and returned to wife and children. He suffers under both cruel and mild masters as he shares life with other bound persons. Northup also relates the stories of other persons he suffers with. You will feel Patsey’s pain as she is whipped into submission and suffer with Elisa as her small children are wrenched from her and sold away never to be seen again.
This biography needs to be told. Perhaps another writer will make the story come alive for the modern reader.
3 of 5 stars