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Analysis Of The Book ' 12 Years A Slave '

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During this semester, we discussed the topic of slavery in America. Steve McQueen’s film 12 Years a Slave, produced by Regency Enterprises and distributed by Fox Searchlight, released on November 8th, 2013, was an amazing film based on the true story of Soloman Northup, a free African-American man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south prior to the Civil War era. This story captures the harsh realities of slave life with little hope for freedom. during one of the darkest periods of our country. The two historical themes that best encompasses the history in 12 Years a Slave I believe are Race & History and the Effects of Education on History. There are specific reasons that these themes are the most relevant to the story which will be explained. The film shows that before being sold into slavery, Northup was a relatively successful musician living with his family in Saratoga, New York. While his family was out of town, Northup met two men who told him that they were scouts looking for talent to work for a traveling circus. Being that Northup was a working fiddler, obviously he was interested in the proposition. After traveling to Washington and a night of drinking and dining, Northup woke up the next morning to find himself chained up in a holding cell. Right away the film foreshadows a story of incredible struggle and hardship. The truth is, these kidnappings and attempted kidnappings more frequently than we know. “Fugitive slave laws allowed African

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