1. Solomon Northup
12 Years a Slave

2. Solomon Northup Born a free man in 1808 in Minerva, NY
Parents were a freed slave (owned by the Northup family) and a free woman.
He was well educated, was a professional musician and worked on canal construction in the area.
His wife, also born free, was a famous cook in the area. She worked at various hotels and resorts.

3. Solomon and Anne Northup
Married, owned their own home and farm
Had three children
Were well respected in the community
Slave Trade Act of 1833 made things dangerous for free people of color.

4. Solomon’s Experience
Solomon was approached by two men (Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton) who said they were recruiting musicians for a circus.
Solomon was famous for his violin playing in the area, and someone recommended him to them. The men offered him a great gig in New York City.
After that job they offered him more to work in Washington, DC. That was where someone, maybe Hamilton and Brown, drugged and sold him into slavery.
Robey's Slave Pen of Washington, D.C., 1835

5. Solomon Northup
James H Birch who worked at this site in Alexandria, forced Solomon to accept the slave name, “Platt”, and the story that he was a runaway from Georgia.
Solomon was taken with other kidnapped African Americans and shipped to New Orleans, where he was purchased first by William Ford, who was kind to him, and then sold to a series of increasingly violent men.

6. Solomon Northup
Solomon finally ended up in the possession of Edwin Epps, in Bayou Boeuf, Louisiana.
This man owned him for most of his captivity, and Solomon’s experience there was incredibly difficult and degrading.
He did meet a Canadian carpenter who was working for Epps, and convinced him to get word to his family in New York.
Restored Epps plantation at LSU Alexandria.

7. Solomon Northup
Relatives of his father’s owners, the Northups, took charge of getting lawyers, finding Solomon and obtaining his freedom.
He returned North and wrote the book about his experience and began touring as an abolitionist speaker.
He did try to pursue his case in court and was unable to get any redress because he was unable to testify in court as a black man.
James Birch actually tried to sue Northup for defamation, saying Solomon had approached Birch and told him that he was a runaway slave for sale. (?!?!)