Cover Image

Twelve years a slave

The harrowing true story that inspired the critically acclaimed filmThe son of a freed slave, Solomon Northup lived the first thirty years of his life as a free man in upstate New York. In the spring of 1841, he was offered a job: a short-term, lucrative engagement as a violinist in a traveling circ...

Full description

Main Author: Northup, Solomon, 1808-1863?
Other Authors: Gates, Henry Louis, Jr.
Format: Downloads eBook Books eBook
Language: English
Published: New York : Open Road Media, 2014.
Subjects:
Northup, Solomon, > 1808-1863?
Slavery > Louisiana > History > 19th century.
Electronic books.
Online Access: Go to Downloadable eBook Here.
Summary: The harrowing true story that inspired the critically acclaimed filmThe son of a freed slave, Solomon Northup lived the first thirty years of his life as a free man in upstate New York. In the spring of 1841, he was offered a job: a short-term, lucrative engagement as a violinist in a traveling circus. It was a trap. In Washington, DC, Northup was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery. He spent the next twelve years on plantations in Louisiana, enduring backbreaking labor, unimaginable violence, and inhumane treatment at the hands of cruel masters, until a kind stranger helped to win his release. His account of those years is a shocking, unforgettable portrait of America's most insidious historical institution as told by a man who experienced it firsthand. Published shortly after Harriet Beecher Stowe's abolitionist classic Uncle Tom's Cabin, Northup's memoir became a bestseller in 1853. With its eloquent depiction of life before and after bondage, Twelve Years a Slave was a unique and effective entry into the national debate over slavery. Rediscovered in the 1960s and now the inspiration for a major motion picture, Northup's poignant narrative gives readers an invaluable glimpse into a shameful chapter of American history.
Item Description: Title from eBook information screen.
Physical Description: 1 online resource
Format: Requires OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 1256 KB) or Kobo app or compatible Kobo device (file size: N/A KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB).
ISBN: 9781480476882
Author Notes: Solomon Northup was a free-born African American from Saratoga Springs, New York. He is noted for having been kidnapped in 1841 when enticed with a job offer. When he accompanied his supposed employers to Washington, DC, they drugged him and sold him into slavery. From Washington, DC, he was transported to New Orleans where he was sold to a plantation owner from Rapides Parish, Louisiana. After 12 years in bondage, he regained his freedom in January 1853.

Solomon Northup's memoir was reprinted several times later in the 19th century. An annotated version was published in 1968; the memoir was adapted and produced as a 2013 film by the same name by Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup. Since 1999, Saratoga Springs, New York, has celebrated an annual Solomon Northup Day on the third Saturday in July.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Similar Items