Solomon Northup: From Twelve Years A Slave

Solomon Northup: From Twelve Years a Slave Solomon Northup was a man from New York, born in 1808. Solomon was born as a free man on his parents farm in the Adirondack Mountains. His father, Mintus, was a very successful and well known man in Fort Edwards, New York. Not only did he send Northup to school, but he also taught him how to be a skillful farmer. Years later, Northup married Anne Hampton, with whom they had three children and moved to Saratoga. He supported his family by farming, carpeting, driving hacks, and musician events. In 1841, Northup met two white men named Brown and Hamilton who were circus performances. Needing the extra income for his family, Brown and Hamilton convinced Northup to leave New York to Washington, D.C for …show more content…
Solomon Northup was an extraordinarny man. He was an intelligent and skilled man, loved and appreciated by most. He worked hard with a humble spirit noticeable to others. Not everyone was very fund of his success and freedom. While arriving among Washington D.C with the two white men and having an afternoon of festivities and drinking, Solomon found himself drugged and incarcerated. In the beginning of his narrative, he goes into deep detail of being chained in a dark place in vain. He yelled out, but the sound of his voice scared him not understanding why he was being held in captivity. He realized he was kidnapped and stripped of his free papers and soon to be sold to a slave master in Louisiana by the name of William Ford. He kept his identity secret possibly in distress of repercussion. He stood out to his slave master and was treated well for his work abilities and skills in the field. He was different then most, being more articulate and strong-willed. Northup spoke of Ford as a Christian and noble man. “ He was a model master, walking …show more content…
This story has now turned into a great movie exposing the expressions of our society beyond the black race and slavery. It reveals how times have changed slowly over society where there were free slaves in one state with freedom and rights, and the next state there were slaves being held in captivity and treated terribly. This story opens the eyes of readers in many ways with its stories of discriminatory. If this man can be free and successful, why can’t this slave man or woman in the South be the same? As this story has been passed down through books and movies, it has only strengthened our society to acknowledge the history and tribulations that African American slaves encountered every day for us to appreciate freedom today. Narratives such as this one, from inspirational men such as Solomon Northup changed history. Each and every testimony from strong motivational men and women in slavery times still holds strong importance to our lives