Solomon Northup

When families were traded in the slave industry, many parents and siblings were sundered and bought by different slave owners. Many slaves’ experiences varied, depending on their role in society and their slave owner, however a common thread was the deprivation of all freedoms and liberties a person should have. The work the slaves

When he had arrived in Buffalo, Lewis’s first reaction to when they had finally reached his Uncle Otis’s home. “When we reached my Uncle O.C’s home and Dink’s house, I couldn’t believe it, They had white people living next door to them...on BOTH sides.” (Lewis and Aydin March Book 1: 43) Segregation in the north wasn’t a big deal to people in the north than it was in the south and from that he experienced a lot during that visit in the north. Once he had returned back home, he knew what was different now, he understood what the problem and differences were while he was up in Buffalo and at home. It came to him when school time was coming back around in the fall. “ In the fall, I started right the bus to school ,which should’ve been fun. But it was just another sad reminder of how different our lives were from those of white children.” (Lewis and Aydin March Book 1: 47) Between the black and white community, Lewis saw how “degrading” it was when it had came to school. They didn’t have the nice playground, the nicest bus, roads, and the ugly, sad sight of the prison full of black men and only black men, but he had managed to get pass all of the gloominess with a positive outlook of reading. “ I realized how old it was when we finally climbed onto the paved highway, the main road running east from Troy, and passed the white children’s buses..We drove past prison work gangs almost every day the prisoner were always

A Negro leader living in Boston, made it quite clear where the laws came from, “it is five times as hard to get a house in a good location in Boston as in Philadelphia, and it is ten times as difficult for a colored mechanic to get work here as in Charleston.” (19) His dilemma exhibited how a Negro man figured life in the South might be superior to the North. He made this statement in 1860. In 1860, the South was pushing through the process of Reconstruction. The Negro leader’s statement shocked those who believed the North was where freedom reigned.

Continuing with the theme of family values, Douglass shifts to the basic family unit. Their master separated Douglass and his mother when he was an infant, for what reason he “does not know” (Douglass 2). No one gave Douglass an explanation because this situation was customary on plantations. Douglass wanted to horrify his Northern white readers by informing them that slaveholders regularly split slave families for no apparent reason. This obviously would upset Northerners because the family unit was the foundation for their close-knit communities. Multiple generations and extended families lived together or near each other. It was unimaginable to the readers that a society existed that took children away from their mothers without reason. Northerners would think of anyone who was part of such a society as a heartless monster (Quarles ix).

His entire life he worked tirelessly to defeat slavery and break the mold. With this new found freedom came much more responsibility and a lot more to learn. After becoming a free man, he relocated to New Bedford, a northern city that’s atmosphere was shockingly different than his sojourns in the south. Here in Douglass’s new city, slaves were dressed well, slightly educated, and treated with a slight sense of self-worth. His fear of impeding into the wrong territory made in weary as to where to settle and begin his fresh journey. “During the first month after his arrival at New Bedford, he took any job that came to hand. He applied for jobs ship caulker, but prejudice was still strong in the north” (Frederick Douglass Heritage, 1). Although Douglass was considered free, he could not change the mere appearance of his skin color. He was denied jobs and whites threatened to quit if he were appointed as an equal opportune employee. This minute defeat did not stop Douglass, for he had made it too far to give up. He eventually accepted a suitable job as an agent for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. According to an article, “His job was to tour the state to secure subscribers to the liberator and to give lectures” (Frederick Douglass Heritage,

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

African-American slaves during that era used family as a means to focus their lives around something bigger than any one person. Utilizing the family

Solomon Northup woke up every morning and was perfectly content with his life just the way it was; living everyday life as a free man, a free black man at that. His optimistic view on life kept the spring in his step, along with his family and the love for his career. The streets of Saratoga, New York was where Solomon could be found roaming in the time of the Antebellum Era. Unfortunately, in this certain time in history, if an African-American had freedom, they were not going to have it for long. As slavery was beginning to break out, South imprisonment spread like wildfire. For the North it was a different story and actually took a little bit longer to make an appearance. For Solomon, it would only be a matter of time before someone

In the spring of 1841, Solomon Northup accepted an offer of short-term employment as a musician, accompanying a pair of white men, circus performers working their way back to their troupe. A free African-American and resident of New York state, Northup expected the job to take him from Saratoga Springs to New York City, entailing only a brief absence from home — so brief, in fact, that he did not leave word for his wife, also employed away from home for a number of weeks, since he expected to return before her. When they reached New York City, however, his employers urged him to continue with them to Washington, D.C., where they were to meet the circus, promising employment at high wages for the season

Solomon Northup was a free African-American man until he was sold into slavery for 12 years. His wife and children in New York had no idea where he was and if he’d ever return. Solomon Northup’s story of breaking the chains of slavery and becoming a free man again is heroic and shows his perseverance even under the harsh circumstances. Northup was a free man who lived in New York with his wife, Anne Northup, and three children. He was very talented when playing the fiddle.

One of the most important things in anyone's life is a family. Family affects one’s childhood, morals, views, and learning, and is vital to the development of a person. Those who grow up in stable families are allowed to learn and grow as people in a warm and safe environment. However, many people grow up in unstable families, and that impacts them and leaves its mark on each person who grew up without a loving mother and father. In The Death of a Confederate Colonel, by Pat Carr, Renny is a slave on the Birdsong plantation during the Civil War.

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

The backgrounds of the narrators of these novels are an important factor that could influence reactions of northern white readers. The plight of Northup, a free black man living in New York captured and sold into slavery, would be more persuasive to those on the fence about the abolitionist movement than Jacobs’s background. To white readers living in free northern states, Northup represents friends and neighbors, a man that any of them could have lived next to or worked with. The idea that this could happen to someone they know at any time is a very persuasive element of Northup’s story.

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

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.