Solomon Northup was born a free man in Minerva, New York, in 1808. Little is known about his mother, whom his narrative does not identify by name. His father, Mintus, was originally enslaved to the Northup family from Rhode Island, but he was freed after the family moved to New York. As a young man, Northup helped his father with farming chores and worked as a raftsman on the waterways of upstate New York. He married Anne Hampton, a woman of mixed (black, white, and Native American) ancestry, on Christmas Day, 1829. They had three children together. During the 1830s, Northup became locally renowned as an excellent fiddle-player. In 1841, two men offered Northup generous wages to join a traveling musical show, but soon after he accepted, …show more content…
Persuaded by William Ford that killing Northup will only bring him the condemnation of his peers as well as financial loss, Tibeats hires Northup out to cut sugarcane in the "Big Cane Break" farther down the Red River. Around this time, Northup learns that Eliza has died of malnourishment and grief at the loss of her daughter (pp. 159-160). Soon afterwards, Tibeats sells Northup to Edwin Epps, a "repulsive and coarse" cotton planter whom Northup describes as being devoid of any redeeming qualities.(p. 162). The second half of Northup's narrative is chiefly devoted to describing life on a cotton plantation. He provides detailed descriptions of the processes of planting, cultivating, and picking cotton (pp. 163-168), character sketches of his fellow slaves (pp. 185-190), and gradations of punishment for various offenses (pp. 179-180). As he was periodically hired out to sugar plantations as well, Northup describes the methods of planting, harvesting, and processing the cane in similar detail (pp. 208-213). Though his account reveals the misery and despair of field slaves, like many other slave narratives, it also reflects the wry humor with which Northup endured his situation. For example, in describing the meager rations allotted for each week's subsistence, he quips that "no slave of [Edwin Epps's] is ever likely to suffer from the gout, superinduced by excessive high living" (p. 169). Likewise, he begins his description
1.) The 1st major event In Northup 's life was when 2 strangers came up to him, Brown and Hamilton, who said that they have heard about Northup 's violin skills and want him to join a circus with them. He agrees and doesn 't tell his wife where he is going because he figures he will be home before she is. The two men seem very nice and watch out for what is best for Northup. They tell him that they are going to be traveling into a slave country and he should get his free papers. He thinks that is very kind and gets the papers and they go on their way. One night after having a few drinks, Northup starts feeling very thirsty. He drinks a lot of water but the thirst comes right
Both his white owner and his white protector have caused Northup to suffer unnecessarily something that will have in the back of his mind. Tibeats, of course is cruel but Chapin is negligent in his part. In the heat of the day and the physical torment, Northup’s thoughts wander to the argument that southern blacks were happy in their servitude. None of the southern slaves fed and whipped by his owner Northup says in his agony, is more content than a free black man in the North. Northup also uses this chapter as an opportunity to shame the corrupted southern legal system that denied basic civil rights to its black citizens. If Tibeat would’ve killed Northup no slave would be able to testify against Tibeat. This injustice is another of the
Edwin Epps will wake his slaves in the middle of the night and make them dance all night. Mr Epps’ slave are required to harvest cotton and the cotton harvested by each slave is weight. The ones that harvested the least amount of cotton will be punished by being whipped. Patsy a fellow slave who always picked the most cotton is favoured my Mr Epps, because of that Mistress Epps is jealous of Patsy and tried to get Mr Epps to sell Patsy. Patsy is also a victim of Edwin Epps’ constant rape. Patsy fell into despair and beg Northup to kill her as she couldn’t take her own life herself. Solomon Northup was once accused by Mr Epps for talking to Patsy and got chased by Mr Epps. A plague hit Mr Epps’ cotton plantation. Mr Epps’ sent all his slaves to Judge Turner until Mr Epps’ corps return. During the time at Judge Turner’s place, Northup was given the opportunity to play the violin and able to earn so coins. He kept his money somewhere in the forest.
Solomon Northup was a free negro, who was born and raised in New York in 1808. His father was a slave to a man with the last name Northup and upon his death was granted his freedom. Solomon married Ann Hampton and had three children. Solomon had many talents, and was quite intelligent, which helped to make his family prosperous. Ann worked as a cook at local restaurants and Solomon played the violin for extra money during the winter months. While unemployed in March of 1841, Solomon encountered two men at a bar that wanted to hire him to play the violin for them as they traveled to meet their circus companions in Washington, D.C. The gentlemen made Solomon a very tempting offer and he decided to travel with the gentlemen while
The second major theme in Northup’s narrative is the constant and unrelenting hardship of plantation work. The images that Northup captures in his descriptions of life and labor on the plantations of Louisiana depict the sheer exhaustion, monotony, and fear that each slave struggled with physically and psychologically. As Northup recalled, Northup’s rendering of the daily life of slavery captures the incessant emotional and
In the book 12 Years A Slave written from a primary source by Solomon Northup based on a true story describes the triumphant journey Solomon Northup goes through as he never lost hope of regaining his freedom and resisted the dehumanization of enslavement in many ways. Solomon was born a free black man in New York in 1808 while his father, Mintus was born a slave and gained his freedom as their master passed away also inheriting their masters last name "Northup". Growing Solomon worked on a farm with his dad and soon after his dad died in 1829 he soon married a women named Anne Hampton in which they soon moved to Saratoga Springs, New York and had three children of their own. They were living like any other free person was and soon Solomon was working in many industries and Anne established herself as a cook and in the 1830 's Solomon had a reputation of being a well played violinist. In 1841 Solomon had became unemployed and was looking for an occupation, he ran into Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton in who then offers him a job in a circus playing the violin. As they arrive in Washington D.C. which is slave territory, he begins to become sick and passes out which was planned by Merrill and Abram to poison and kidnap him in the slave territory and sell him in which he soon wakes up in chains in a slave pen. Solomon 's first master was James H. Burch who he was sold by the two men who had
Also, Northup pointed out that black people were the same as white people: they all shared same intelligent, and same emotions. Northup was a black man in the North, where slavery is illegal. However, the idea of the black people was second-class citizen was normal at that period of time. His right as a freeman was violated a lot, both in North as a free citizen and in south as a slave. He once said in the book, “that the southern slave, fed, clothed, whipped and protected by his master, is happier than the free colored citizen of the North” (121). As long as the master protected his slaves, like Mr. Ford did, slaves felt happy. In other words, Northup felt that he would give up his freedom to be loved and cared about. Black people in the country
There are several personal slavery narratives that account of all the horrors of slavery. An example is Solomon Northup’s autobiography, 12 Years a Slave, which provides a personal account of slavery, all the violent and gory aspects that enslavement holds, and the terrible acts of people who dishonored the attributes of a true American. Northup describes in vivid detail the dreadful actions committed against him. Published in 1853, the autobiography has lost momentum over the years, but was recently revived by Steve McQueen’s 2013 film adaptation.
Through Solomon Northup’s story, viewers learn that socioeconomic status is no exception from racial realities. Solomon Northup was an educated, refined free black in the 1840s. His only mistake was thinking that being born free meant he was safe from the demonstration of white supremacy in America. Especially during this time, it didn't matter that he was educated, musically talented, and a family man, a person of color was threatened in a white, capitalist society and through the heartbreaking story of Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave shows this sad time in American
Solomon Northup was born in July of 1808, in Minerva, New York. Solomon was born free due to the death of his father’s, Mintus, owner. His father’s owner was named Captain Henry Northup, which is how Solomon and his father received their last name. While Northup was a child, he had acquired some education, but mainly worked on his family’s farm. In 1828, Solomon married Anne Hampton. In 1834, he and his wife moved to Saratoga Springs, New York. They later had three children, Elizabeth, Margaret, and Alonzo. While in upstate New York, Solomon Northup received the reputation of a talented fiddler.
The act of violence also contributes to the dehumanization and the “breaking down” of the slaves. Slaves were beaten, and whipped daily, subjected to cruel torture. Northup describes these acts of violence in his narrative very vividly.
Solomon Northup was a free African American man from Minerva, New York. In the novel Twelve Years a Salve, Northup composed a narrative about his life as a free man, and also his life as a slave. In the year of 1814 Northup was kidnapped and taken deep South, to the rugged life of slavery. After 12 years of being thrown into the slavery against his will, he rightfully regained his freedom in January of 1853 all because he came in contact with an abolitionist from Canada, who sent letters to his family about his situation.
During a time of cruel punishment and harsh conditions of life as a slave in the 19th century South, there was a book that shed a light on the life of a slave unparalleled in past as well as in modern literature. That book was entitled Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. Northup was born a freeman that was obtained from his father after being freed by the Northup family due to loyal service. Growing up in the free state of New York, Solomon was allowed an education that was rare because of the sad disposition of the majority of his race. Solomon gained much knowledge of industry and hard work from his father. As a free man of color, he enjoyed various jobs and hobbies from timber raft building to playing
Whites have long argued that slavery was good for slaves because it civilized them and that slaves were content to be held in bondage. But such is not the case, at least not according to those who were actually held in bondage. The accounts of slavery are greatly known by emancipated or run away slaves. One recorded account of slavery is by Solomon B. Northup’s autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave which was published in 1853.
12 Years A Slave, is a film based on the narrative memoir of Solomon Northup; an African- American who was born a free man but was later drugged, beaten and kidnapped from his hometown, Saratoga Springs, New York, and taken to Washington D.C (1841). Awakened in a slave pen, Northup is “sadistically remade from a black free man in the North into a slave in the South” (Mollie Lieblich). He was sold to a slave master in Louisiana and worked on cotton and sugar plantations until a friend from the North comes to his rescue after twelve years.