1. Solomon Northup PowerPoint by Romina Olea
12 Years a Slave
Solomon Northup
PowerPoint by Romina Olea

2. SUMMARY
Solomon lived in New York with his family. He was a free man that would work various jobs throughout the year and was also a talented violin player. He meets two men who invite him to join their traveling circus as their fiddler. He goes with them without telling his wife but a few days in, he gets drugged and kidnapped. He wakes up in a slave pen to a man who claims he is his owner now. He says he is a free man but gets beaten and warned never to say he is a free man again. On the boat to New Orleans, he meets a man who helps him send a letter to his family but since they do not know where he is, they cannot rescue him. He goes through many different owners but spends the 10 of the 12 years with the cruel Edwin Epps. He never tells anyone that he is a free man until he meets a white carpenter named Samuel Bass. Samuel writes a letter to Solomon’s family as well as Parker who is a white friend of his. Parker gets the help of Henry B. Northup, an attorney who just happened to help free Solomon’s dad from slavery. New York had passed a law that would help free men that were captured into slavery. Henry gets help from the state to travel there and he hires two attorneys to help him and after searching for a long time, they find and free him. Solomon tries to press charges against the men who kidnapped him but he did not succeed. He returns home to his family and concludes his story by saying he has no say about slavery and that anyone who reads this can make their own opinion about it. There were no exaggerations and mentions those citizens captured that are not as lucky as him and are still on plantations today. He is happy to be home and hopes to live a good life and be buried at the church like his father.

3. Memorable quotes and scenes
“I don't want to survive. I want to live.” – Solomon Northup
“What difference is there in the color of the soul?” – Solomon Northup
“I will not fall into despair! I will keep myself hardy until freedom is opportune!” – Solomon Northup
“I had not then learned the measure of “man’s inhumanity to man,” nor to what limitless extent of wickedness he will go for the love of gain.” – Solomon Northup

4. Why should you read this book?
This is such an amazing story. It opens your eyes to the reality of the lives people of color had at the time. It is so powerful and emotional. You will feel the emotions he did throughout the story. There is not a dull moment in his story, his life was really an incredible story to tell and to read. He was able to get out of slavery and live to tell his story and the ordeals he went through is rare. You can see through someone’s personal point of view, what that harsh life was like. You would be missing out if you do not read this book.

5. Works Cited 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, published 1853
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