12 Years a Slave: Original 1853 Edition

Publisher Marketing: Slavery has existed in one form or another throughout recorded history. And while many races and nationalities have been victims of this abhorrent practice around the world, this "peculiar institution," as it was called in the United States, is particularly tragic inasmuch as our country was founded on the principle of equality for all. Since the Reconstruction, we've struggled with the embarrassing legacy of our forefathers. But as our lands fill with immigrants and generations far separated from the era who bear no responsibility for the crimes of the past century it's important to face the inhuman slave experience which, because it makes some uncomfortable, has sadly been bowdlerized. Slave narratives were popular in the 19th century precisely to share these deplorable stories and preserve them for all time. There was, for example, Austin Steward's "22 Years a Slave," Louis Hughes' "30 Years a Slave," H. C. Bruce's "29 Years a Slave," and, of course, Solomon Northup's "12 Years a Slave" in which the author, a free man, recounts his kidnapping, sale, and the subsequent enslavement he endured for twelve years before returning home. Handier than the free PDFs on the web, this you can hold, bookmark, highlight and shelve. An inexpensive imperative for any history buff or advocate of civil rights and social justice. Review Citations: Booklist 02/15/2001 pg. 1100 (EAN 9780486411439, Paperback) Library Journal 11/01/2013 pg. 103 (EAN 9781843914716, Paperback) Audio File 02/01/2014 pg. 26 (EAN 9781482916171, Compact Disc) Audio File 02/01/2014 pg. 26 (EAN 9781482916195, Compact Disc) Library Journal 05/15/2013 pg. 45 (EAN 9781624063435, Compact Disc) Contributor Bio:  Northup, Solomon SOLOMON NORTHUP was born in 1808 and lived as a free man in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and three children until his capture and enslavement in 1841. He was one of very few who were able to regain their freedom after being kidnapped and sold into slavery. After he returned to New York, he published his memoir and became an active abolitionist, lecturing throughout the Northeast about his experiences. Contributor Bio:  Wilson, David Solomon Northup was a free-born African American from New York, the son of a freed slave. A farmer and violinist, he owned a property in Hebron. In 1841 he was kidnapped by slave-traders, having been enticed with a job offer as a violinist. When he accompanied his supposed employers to Washington, DC, they drugged him and sold him as a slave. He was shipped to New Orleans where he was sold to a plantation owner in Louisiana. He was held in the Red River region of Louisiana by several different owners for 12 years, during which time his friends and family had no word of him. He made repeated attempts to escape and get messages out of the plantation. Eventually he got news to his family, who contacted friends and enlisted the Governor of New York, Washington Hunt, to his cause. He regained his freedom in January 1853 and returned to his family in New York.