Twelve Years a Slave

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Drawing by Twelve Years a Slave (1855)

Twelve Years a Slave (Subtitle: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana ) are the memoirs of the African American Solomon Northup , which were published in 1853 . Northup was born free in New York State prior to the Civil War , but abducted in 1841, sold into slavery, and held as a slave in Louisiana for twelve years . Northup describes details of the slave market in Washington, DC as well as the cultivation of cotton on the large plantations in Louisiana.

The memoir was published shortly after the novel Onkel Toms Hütte by Harriet Beecher Stowe and became a bestseller with 30,000 copies sold. There were several editions during the 19th century. The memoirs supported Stowes fictional narrative through their authenticity and together with this triggered a national political debate about slavery, which ultimately culminated in the Civil War. After several editions in the 19th century, the book was forgotten for about 100 years until it was republished in 1968 by historian Sue Eakin . The content of the book was by Steve McQueen filmed and on September 6, 2013 at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival premiere.

content

The black Solomon Northup, a trained carpenter and violinist, who lives freely in New York State , is offered a short, well-paid job in her company by advertisers at a traveling circus. Without informing his wife, who works in the neighboring town, Northup accepts the engagement and travels with the strangers in the direction of Washington, DC One morning he wakes up drugged and tied up in a cage for slaves. When Northup stands up for his rights as a free man, he is beaten and warned against ever mentioning his free life in New York again.

On the crossing to New Orleans , Northup and other black slaves get smallpox , and some die from it. During the voyage, Northup manages to get a compassionate sailor to send a letter to his family. This letter arrives safely, but since his family has no information about the destination of the trip, they cannot help Northup.

Northup's first owner is William Ford, a cotton producer on an oxbow lake on the Red River . It will be sold to other owners over the next twelve years. Sometimes his training as a carpenter gives him comparatively good treatment, but he also suffers from extreme cruelty. He is attacked twice by a man named John Tibeats, who has become his owner; When the opportunity for retaliation later arises, Northup cannot resist, but has to suffer severe reprisals as a result. Later he is sold to Edwin Epps, a notoriously cruel farmer who makes Northup work as a driver and monitor of the other slaves, whom he is supposed to punish for undesirable behavior.

In the twelve years of his slavery, Northup has never revealed his true origins to any slave or owner. Eventually he entrusts his story to a white carpenter, a Canadian named Samuel Bass. Bass sends a letter to Northup's wife, who then contacts Henry Northup, a white lawyer whose family once owned and released Solomon Northup's father. Henry Northup then speaks to New York state officials. The governor appoints him an agent and sends him to Louisiana to rescue Solomon Northup. The plan succeeds and Northup can leave the plantation. Solomon Northup is reunited with his family in New York after a lawsuit against the men who sold him into slavery.

process

Northup decided to sue the Washington slave traders he identified; however, the circus workers were not found for the time being. The case was heard in Washington, DC, as Northup was sold there. Although he was a free man, local law did not allow him to testify against a white man. One of these men in turn sued Northup, who had to defend himself in court, but later dropped the charges. The case gained national attention, and the New York Times reported the trial on January 20, 1853, on the front page.

Reception and historical value

Northup describes the daily life of the slaves in Bayou Boeuf, Louisiana: their diet and living conditions, the relationship between the master and his slaves. He shows how slavers were used to recapture runaways. Northup's slave narrative corresponds in content to the narratives of other authors such as Frederick Douglass , Harriet Jacobs or William Wells Brown , but is unique as the narrative of a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The book was a bestseller; it was sold over 30,000 times in the years leading up to the American Civil War.

After several editions in the 19th century, the book was out of print until 1968 when the writer Sue Eakin brought it back to the public eye. Eakin spent several years tracing Northup's journey through her homeland, Bayou Boeuf, in central Louisiana, where he had been held as a slave, as well as the cities with the most slave sales, New Orleans and Washington, DC. It documented the story of Northup, his origins from New York, the decree to obtain his father's freedom and the legal work that Northup had restored freedom and should bring his kidnappers to account. In 1968, a version of the memoir with Eakin's footnotes was published by Louisiana State University Press . This edition shed new light on history and its historical significance. In 2007, shortly before her death, Eakin completed an updated and expanded edition of the book at the age of 90, which includes over 150 pages of new background material, maps, and photographs. In 2013, an e-book version and an audio book version of the extended edition were published in her memory. Students may use the Sue Eakin Collection archives at Louisiana State University in Alexandria with permission .

Historian Jesse Holland said in a 2009 interview that he relied on Northup's memoirs and detailed descriptions of Washington in 1841 to pinpoint the location of some slave markets. Holland has also explored the role of African slaves as skilled workers who built some important public buildings in Washington, DC, including the Capitol and parts of the original Executive Mansion.

Legacies and Honors

  • Saratoga Springs, New York annually celebrates Solomon Northup Day and curates a historical exhibition.
  • In 1968, Louisiana historian Sue Eakin and Professor Joseph Logsdon published an edited and annotated version of Northup's short story.
  • In 2012, David Fiske published a biography entitled Solomon Northup: His Life Before and After Slavery . The book also tells the publishing history of Twelve Years a Slave during the 19th century.

copyright

Twelve Years a Slave is in the public domain and the e-book version can be downloaded from several websites. Free and commercial audiobook versions are also available.

Editions of the book

In English (first edition):

  • Twelve Years a Slave - Narrative of Solomon Northup, A Citizen of New York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, From a Common Plantation Near the Red River, in Louisiana. Derby and Miller, Auburn (New York); Derby, Orton and Mulligan, Buffalo; Henry W. Derby, Cincinnati 1853.

In German language:

  • 12 years as a slave - the story of the Solomon Northup. Translated by Klaus Schmitz. Tintenschmiede publishing house, Neuwied 2014, ISBN 978-3-945353-00-4 .
  • Twelve years as a slave. Translated by Petra Foede. Verlag Rainer Zenz, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-95703-843-2 . (E-book).
  • Twelve years a slave. Translated by Jürgen Beck. Verlag Jürgen Beck Jazzybee, Altenmünster 2014, e-book ISBN 978-3-8496-4300-3 and print ISBN 978-3-8496-9937-6 (ISBN not available from the German National Library).
  • Twelve Years a Slave. The true story. German first edition. Translated by Johannes Sabinski and Alexander Weber. Piper Verlag Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-492-30614-0 .
  • Twelve years slave. The true story of a free man who was abducted and enslaved. Translated by Hannelore Eisenhofer and Ailin Konrad. Nikol, Hamburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-86820-257-1 .

Film adaptations

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave : Summary , online text on Documenting the American South , University of North Carolina, Retrieved July 19, 2012
  2. ↑ THE KIDNAPPING CASE. Narrative of the Seizure and Recovery of Solomon Northrup. INTERESTING DISCLOSURES. . In: New York Times . Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina. January 20, 1853. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Jesse Holland on How Slaves Built the White House and the US Capitol . Democracynow.org. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  4. ↑ Dr. Sue Lyles Eakins Obituary . Alexandria Daily Town Talk . Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  5. ↑ David Fiskes website , English