Solomon Northup: A Journey from Freedom to Slavery

Ndidiamaka Okwechime American History Twelve Years A Slave
Twelve years a slave is the title of a book and a movie which was an adaptation of the life of Solomon Northup. Solomon Northup was born in New York a free man. He had a wife and three children, he unlike most other children was educated.”Besides giving us an education surpassing that ordinarily bestowed to the children in our condition” he said page 25, he had a farm and worked as a violinist. He was drugged, abducted and sold into slavery in 1841 while on a visit to Washington, sold at auction and shipped to work in cotton plantations in Louisiana. He was given a new identity and his slave name was “Platt.” he never accepted being

The protestant churches in the North particularly were preaching against slavery, blacks were joining these churches as well as establishing within their enclaves associations such as Colony of Wilberforce. There was the “First Annual Convention of the people of Color” in Philadelphia. They became more assertive, brave and confrontational. There was regularly attempt to rescue other slaves even when some were with their masters. At this period a black only school was opened in New York and education was no longer a restricted commodity. Southern plantation owners were very harsh, they farmed cotton, sugar and tobacco. They depended entirely on slave labor and were strongly opposed to the abolition and emancipation for slaved people. Their plantations were managed by overseers. The slave were also classified based on skills, those who had better skills were given more privileges than others. Abolitionists were mostly northerners who devoted time and efforts towards abolishing slave trade and the emancipation of all those enslaved. The northern state were against slave trade, and started passing legislation to stop it. One notable abolitionist was William Garrison, he founded the American Anti Slave Society. Some notable black