Twelve Years a Slave is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and edited by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details his being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. He was in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before he was able to secretly get information to friends and family in New York, who in turn secured his release with the aid of the state. Northup's account provides extensive details on the slave markets in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, and describes at length cotton and sugar cultivation and slave treatment on major plantations in Louisiana. The work was published eight years before the Civil War by Derby & Miller of Auburn, New York, soon after Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling novel about slavery, Uncle Tom's Cabin, to which it lent factual support.
About 12 Years a Slave
During the Antebellum period, Solomon Northup is a free man living in upstate New York. However, he gets kidnapped and is sold away as a slave.
Achievement of 12 Years a Slave
The film won three Academy Awards including Best Motion Picture of the Year. And Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o. The movie is based on Solomon Northup's 1853 slave narrative memoir of the same name.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About 12 Years a Slave
Slave narratives.. American memoirs.
Latest information about 12 Years a Slave updated on July 28 2021.
