Twelve Years a Slave

Synopsis

Twelve Years a slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history. It recounts how Solomon Nortup, born a free man in New York, was lured to Washington D.C., in 1841 with the promise of fast money, then drugged and beaten and sold into slavery. He spent the next twelve years of his life in captivity on aseries of Lousinana plantations. After his rescue, Northup published this exceptionally vivid and detailed account of slave life. Today, it's recognized for its unusual insight and eloquence as one of the very few portraits of American slavery produced by someone as educated as Solomon Northup, or by someone with the dual perspective of having been both a free man and a slave.

Related Research