1. S OLOMON N ORTHUP Twelve years a slave

2. L IFE : Born July 1808, N. Y. As a free man Educated farmer and violinist 1829 married Anne Hampton 3 children 1832 Kingsbury – 1834 Saratoga Springs

3. L IFE : 1841 met two gentlemen Kidnapped and sold as a slave 12 years a slave 1853 – freedom Died 1863?

4. L EGACY AND F ILMS ABOUT HIS LIFE : Solomon Northup’s Odyssey - 1984 Solomon Northup Day – Saratoga Springs 12 years a slave – film 2013

5. T WELVE Y EARS A S LAVE Written in 1853 With the help of David Wilson Not fictionalized Dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe Dual perspective – free man and slave Did not use pseudonyms

6. S OLOMON ’ S I NTENT : Present his life Portray the institution of Slavery As he had seen it

7. M AIN THEMES IN THE BOOK : Extreme violence Hardship of plantation work Faith – 2 sides ( ‘control and remedy’)

8. I MPORTANT PERSONS : William Ford John M. Tibeats Edwin Epps Patsey Bass

9. ‘At such times, said he, the heart of man turns instinctively towards his Maker. In prosperity, and when there is nothing to injure or make him afraid, he remembers Him not, and is ready to defy Him; but place him in the midst of dangers, cut him off from human aid, let the grave open before him – then it is, in the time of his tribulation, that the scoffer and unbelieving man turns to God for help, feeling there is no other hope, or refuge, or safety, save in his protecting arm.’

10. ‘An hour before day light the horn is blown. Then the slaves arouse, prepare their breakfast, fill a gourd with water, in another deposit their dinner of cold bacon and corn cake, and hurry to the field again. It is an offence invariably followed by a flogging, to be found at the quarters after daybreak. Then the fears and labors of another day begin; and until its close there is no such thing as rest. He fears he will be caught lagging through the day; he fears to approach the gin-house with his basket- load of cotton at night; he fears, when he lies down, that he will oversleep himself in the morning.’

11. ‘Happiness, in her mind, was exemption from stripes – from labor – from the cruelty of masters and overseers. Her idea of the joy of heaven was simply rest, and is fully expressed in these lines of a melancholy bard:’ ‘I ask no paradise on high, With cares on earth oppressed, The only heaven for which I sigh, Is rest, eternal rest.’

12. ‘There’s a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation, that will not go unpunished forever. There will be a reckoning yet – yes, Epps, there’s a day coming that will burn as an oven. It may be sooner or it may be later, but it’s a coming as sure as the Lord is just.’ ‘A day may come – it will come, if his prayer is heard – a terrible day of vengeance, when the master in his turn will cry in vain for mercy.’

13. Thank you for your attention!