How does a man continue on when he has been taken from his family, his home, his livelihood, to then, be sold into slavery? How does one cope with such a fate? In 1841 Solomon Northup was a middle class free man with a wife and children living in upstate New York and, at this time, working as a violinist at taverns and inns in order to support his family. While away from home, traveling state to state on, what he thinks will be, a short musical trip for profit, Northup is abducted by the two men that had encouraged him to join the excursion and then sold to a slave trader in the District of Columbia. While awaiting purchase in Louisiana, many of the other slaves that Northup had come in contact with were in similar predicaments as him, once …show more content…
At the start of her ownership by Master Epps, Patsey was a twenty-three year old with a “...pleasant temper… rejoicing in the mere sense of existence. Yet Patsey wept oftener, and suffered more, than any of her companions.”(Northup 134). She was the subject of much turmoil between Master and Mistress Epps’. Master Epps desired Patsey and would often sexually abuse her which inducing Mistress Epps’ jealousy and hatred toward the poor slave woman. This resulted in Patsey’s regular experience of verbal and physical abuse, as well as murder attempts by Mistress Epps. Master Epps was not willing to do anything which would keep Patsey from picking cotton because of her “lightning hands”, as described by Northup, when in the cotton field(Northup 134). At the early arrival of Patsey and Northup at the Epps’ plantation, they were of similar cheerful temperaments, both willing to work hard for their master. However, while Northup was becaming the head slave on the plantation, in charge of the gin house, he was regularly forced to whip Patsey, at the command of the Epps. Northup struggled with the injustice committed as he was forced to flog the innocent woman, while he continued to receive better treatment. He despised conditions that he, as a slave, encountered, but in …show more content…
Often, many of them used the time to gather at whichever of the three meeting places for the annual Christmas celebration. Describing the pleasure derived from the event, Northup exclaims: “...even Uncle Abram ceases to glorify Andrew Jackson, and Patsey forgets her many sorrow, amid the general hilarity of the holidays.”(Northup 152). It was Northup’s responsibility, always, at the event to sound off on his violin. It was in playing his instrument that he found comfort. Speaking of his violin, Northup describes it as his “companion,” calling it, “the friend of my bosom--triumphing loudly when I was joyful, and uttering its soft, melodious consolations when I was sad.” His instrument, the feel of the strings pressing against his callused fingers, the smell of the wood seeping into his nostralls with every breath, and the sweet sound resonating in his ears, reminded him of his home, and his family, and the freedoms he once enjoyed before being, so violently, thrust into the violent and oppressive life of a slave. Had it not been for this one simple luxury afforded to him, Northup may not have continued in the hopes of seeing his family again, or tasting the freedoms of his home state of New
...gro Slavery tried to influence the reader all too much. Instead, Stampp preferred to let the statistics and anecdotes tell the tale which allowed both scholars and non-scholars to draw their own conclusions based upon the evidence presented. Because of this, The Peculiar Institution is an invaluable source of information regarding both the institute of slavery as well as southern culture during the ante-bellum period. Personal anecdotes as well as impersonal plantation records solidify this work as an important piece of research that seeks to present the realities of slavery to a modern audience. This impersonal presentation provides a more scholarly approach to a long sensitive topic of debate in the United States. It serves as a reminder to the modern generation of the horrors of slavery and seeks to debase the romantic notion of the paternalistic slave holder.
For example, Northup introduces the reader to a slave named Eliza Berry, who was forced to become her master’s lover, as well as to live with him on the condition that she and her children would be emancipated (25). This exemplifies how white men would use their status to sexually harass their female slaves, while avoiding the consequences because no one would believe them, and they were threatened with being whipped if they uttered a word. In addition, Northup introduces another female slave named Patsey, and he states, “Her back bore the scars of a thousand stripes; not because she was backward in her work, nor because she was of an unmindful and rebellious spirit, but because it had fallen to her lot to be the slave of a licentious master…” (116). Overall, this quote corroborates how severe their masters would penalize them both physically and mentally, as well as how unfair they were to
Slavery in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries consisted of brutal and completely unjust treatment of African-Americans. Africans were pulled from their families and forced to work for cruel masters under horrendous conditions, oceans away from their homes. While it cannot be denied that slavery everywhere was horrible, the conditions varied greatly and some slaves lived a much more tolerable life than others. Examples of these life styles are vividly depicted in the personal narratives of Olaudah Equiano and Mary Prince. The diversity of slave treatment and conditions was dependent on many different factors that affected a slave’s future. Mary Prince and Olaudah Equiano both faced similar challenges, but their conditions and life styles
Melton McLaurin vividly describes the life of a sexually abused slave who fought back in the non-fictional memoir titled Celia, A Slave. As the story began, the 1800s were impassioned with one civil disagreement between two sides of the United States—whether the nation should legally end or perpetuate human enslavement (16). Slavery was particularly and heavily supported by the citizens of the Calloway County, the home of Robert Newsom (19). The proof of increased crop production through slave labor convinced Newsom to begin his investment in black slaves (20). Having an increased number of farmhands allowed Newsom more time for relaxation and a higher social status. Soon, after understanding the ease of obtaining human property, Newsom invested in a young slave girl mainly as a sexual object and concubine rather than a physical or domestic laborer after the recent death of his wife (21). Purchasing a young slave for sex seemed justified, seeing the commonality of slavery in his area. It may seem morbid nowadays, but it was an un-discussed trend during this era of controversial slavery. He loosely assigned the girl the task of being a cook as a cover-up for his sexual misconduct, though it remained obvious to his immediate family (28). The girl was called Celia by her previous master, purchased from an unknown identity at a day’s trip away (23). Celia eventually became weary of her master’s endless sexual abuse and, in the process of defending herself, killed her owner and threw his body in a fire with fear, eventuating her controversial trial (35).
To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...
There were some ups and downs to Solomon’s bondage. Northup met many friends along the years, including Eliza and Patsey. Eliza had been with Solomon since nearly the beginning of his trip, and they shared somewhat similar stories. Unfortunately, Eliza passed away due to grief over her children at Ford’s plantation. William Ford had the kindest heart of any of Solomon’s owners, however, due to the dangers of Mr. John Tibeats, Solomon was sold to Master Edwin Epps. At Epps’ plantation, Solomon met Patsey, “queen of the fields.” Epps was a mean spirited man, however there was some happiness to his plantation: it was the last one Solomon would work at in his twelve years of slavery. Mr. Bass, a Canadian carpenter, helped Solomon out of bondage by writing to Northup’s family in the North. After twelve years of hard labor, scarce food, sleepless nights, and fierce punishments, Solomon Northup was once again a free man.
Many plantation owners were men that wanted their plantation ran in a particular manner. They strove to have control over all aspects of their slaves’ lives. Stephanie Camp said, “Slave holders strove to create controlled and controlling landscapes that would determine the uses to which enslaved people put their bodies.” Mary Reynolds was not a house slave, but her master’s daughter had a sisterly love towards her, which made the master uncomfortable. After he sold Mary he had to buy her back for the health of his daughter. The two girls grew apart after the daughter had white siblings of her own. Mary wa...
In his true-life narrative "Twelve Years a Slave," Solomon Northup is a free man who is deceived into a situation that brings about his capture and ultimate misfortune to become a slave in the south. Solomon is a husband and father. Northup writes:
It portrays the African Americans in a typical role, that of the slave. Their dialect is also stereotyped with certain changes in the mode of speaking. Patsey is considered to speak in ‘unintelligible’ English seen through dialogues like “I got this from Mistress Shaw. Misstress Epps wont even grant me no soap. Stink so much, I make myself gag” , “that all I ax. Dis here what I went to shaw’s ‘fo.’ The disparity in her use of English in comparison to the standard English in the form of excess use of unnecessary terms colloquial terms, is marked in this
Mary Prince first discloses thus to readers when introducing Mrs.Williams. She described her mistress as “ a kind-hearted woman, and she treated all her slaves well.”(231) On the other hand, Mary Prince described her master as "A very harsh, selfish man. His wife was herself much afraid of him and during his stay at home, seldom there tissue her usual kindness to the slaves.”(232) Despite not being directly stated, readers can infer that Mrs.Williams’s fear of her husband, derived from physical abuse as well. More evident brutality of slave owners is displayed within Mary Prince’s master Dickey, after going ashore at the grand Quay. Mary Prince remembers, “I found my master beating Miss D----dreadfully. I strove with all my strength to get her away from him; for she was all black and blue with bruises. He had beat her with his fist, and almost killed her.”(249) Master Dickey being very drunk, had beat his wife as if he would beat any other slave. With Miss Dickey being beaten, she too, suffered physical
...men who kept them in bondage and to sleep with them?” (6). Almost every night she would have to lie on her back and make love to her husband where she “unleashed [her] fury and [their] moments of love-making resembled a battle” (23) willingly or not. She was stripped of her body and womanly factors, and in her husband's eyes was made to be his sexual slave.
Since Northup wrote this book himself, it was able to provide readers with the truth and the experiences of living as a slave in the South. The good experiences written about by Northup seemed to be few and far between in the story, but the moments were big. In the beginning of the story, he talked about being with his family and the experience of being a free black man in the North. Once his freedom and family were taken from him, the next good experience he spoke of was when he met friends, either on the boat rides or on the plantations. These friends, although he was once free and most of them were not, had many things in common with Northup, and they all had similar views on slavery. A third positive experience that Solomon wrote about was when the officials came to Ebbs’ plantation to take him back North to freedom, which Ebbs could not believe. Although Ebbs wasn’t happy about it, Solomon was excited to go back to the North and his family. Being reunited with his family after ...
During this time Northup met one of Epps concubine’s names Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o). Patsey requested that he end her life. She stated “end my life, take my body to the margin of the swamp, take me by the throat hold me low in the water until I am still without life”. The use of the phrase “end my life” and the fact that Patsey thought that that was an act of kindness, spoke to the thoughts of many slaves that felt there was no hope for freedom.
After a fugitive reached their desired place in the North, they normally would have found a all black town, a religious group, or a vigilance committee to live with for a time. They may have gotten money and a living place, provided by these groups, to start a new life with. If they gained enough money, fugitives would attempt to buy family members out of slavery (How Stuff Works “How it Worked”)
As a free man in a world where blacks were either in jail or in slavery, Northup was indeed lucky. However, his fortunes turned when two men approached him and offered him substantial payment to join their travelling music show (Northup 29). Unknown to Northup, the two white men intended to drug him and sell him as a slave. They were successful and soon Northup found himself a slave despite having papers at home to prove that he was a free man. For 12 years, Northup served under a number of masters in the south, some of whom were utterly cruel and some whose humanism he admired. Eventually, he came into contact with an abolitionist who contacted his family who were then able to send a state agent to reclaim him.