12 Years a Slave

Solomon Northup
Solomon Northups 12 Years a Slave recounts the authors life story as a free black
man from the North who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War
South. The son of an emancipated slave, Northup was born free. He lived, worked, and
married in upstate New York, where his family resided. He was a multifaceted laborer
and also an accomplished violin player. In 1841, two con men offered him lucrative
work playing fiddle in a circus, so he traveled with them to Washington, D.C., where
he was drugged, kidnapped, and subsequently sold as a slave into the Red River
region of Louisiana. For the next twelve years he survived as the human property of
several different slave masters, with the bulk of his bondage lived under the cruel
ownership of a southern planter named Edwin Epps. In January 1853, Northup was
finally freed by Northern friends who came to his rescue. He returned home to his
family in New York and there, with the help of editor David Wilson, wrote his account
in 12 Years a Slave.
Written by: Solomon Northup (as told to editor David Wilson)
Type of Work: Slave narrative
Genre: Autobiography/Memoir
First Published: 1853
Setting (primary): The Red River region of Louisiana
Settings (secondary): Saratoga Springs, New York; Washington, D.C.; New Orleans,
Louisiana
Main Characters: Solomon Northup (aka Platt), James H. Burch, William Ford, John
M. Tibeats, Edwin Epps, Patsey, Mistress Epps, Mr. Bass, Henry B. Northup
Major Thematic Topics: Slavery as a moral cancer; freedom; injustice; the inherent
dignity of all humanity; the place of women in society; religion and slavery; mans
inhumanity to man; slaverys toll on servant and master alike
Major symbols: Chains; the whip; the Bible; water; the swamp
Movie Versions: 12 Years a Slave (2013)
The three most important aspects of 12 Years a Slave: 12 Years a Slave presents a
startlingly accurate and verifiable account of the common slave experience in the
United States in the antebellum (pre-Civil War) South. From start to finish, basic facts
about the time, the places, the people, and the practices of the day are incorporated,
sometimes in excessive detail, into Northups story. He speaks with authority on all
subjects of his enslavement, naming names and pointing out landmarks along the
way. In doing so, he dares skeptics to refute his story, knowing that public records and
common knowledge would defend it. For example, when Northup accuses a wicked
slave trader of keeping him captive in Washington, D.C., he not only names that
slaver, he names the slavers accomplice, identifies exactly where the slave pen is
hidden, and describes the physical structure of the slave pen in detail. The result?
During the trial that took place after Northup had been freed, that slave trader
couldnt deny having kept Northup as his captive in that now-exposed slave pen.
Additionally, the accuracy of and factual detail in 12 Years a Slave have kept this book

prominent as a reliable historical reference on slavery for more than 150 years since it
first debuted.
12 Years a Slave serves as a timeless indictment of the practice of chattel bondage,
or human slavery. Northups detailing the abuses he enduredand those he was
forced to inflictprovides a warning to all generations of the moral costs that slavery
exacts from everyone involved. The slave himself or herself is degraded, made to
suffer awful torments, and cruelly robbed of physical, emotional, and spiritual riches.
Still, the slave is not the only one who suffers. By participating in slavery, the master
is morally degraded and emotionally desensitized. His religion is made hypocrisy. His
family legacy is robbed of basic human graces like love, justice, and integrity. In this
respect, Northups 12 Years a Slave is notable for giving human faces to the evil that
was once common practice, and for sounding a constant warning of the awful
consequences of chattel bondage.
12 Years a Slave is a testimony to the power of the human spirit and the enduring
determination of hope. Solomon Northup is deceived, kidnapped, abused, removed
from family, deprived of identity, and beaten into a long, weary, unjustified
submission. Yet he is never broken. Even in his worst days of sorrow lived under the
cruelties of Edwin Epps, he never gives up hope that one day he will be free. He never
loses faith in his friends, constantly assured that if he can only get word to the North
then they will indeed come to his rescue. And they do. In the end, Solomon Northups
heartbreaking journey uplifts because in his testimony is evidence that faith and hope
can endureand triumph.

Book Summary
12 Years a Slave covers five primary periods in Solomon Northups life:

1. Solomon Northup: Free Man

In Chapters I and II, Northup tells of his life as a free black man living in upstate New York. Born in
July 1808, he was the son of an emancipated slave. He grew up working on a farm at his fathers
side, and also was educated to a degree of competence in reading and writing. Additionally, he
learned to play the violin, a skill that would be both a blessing and curse to him in coming years. At
age 21, he married Anne Hampton, and they settled down to raise a family. Solomon worked in
many trades, including farming, lumberjacking, and performing on the violin, while Anne earned
money as a cook. They had three children.
In 1841, Solomon met two white men who offered him lucrative work with a circusif he would
travel with them to Washington, D.C. Unsuspecting, he joined them in their travels and in
Washington, D.C., after a day of unusual revelry and drinking, became terribly ill. On his way to
see a doctor, he passed out. When he woke up, Solomon Northup was alone, chained in
darkness.

2. Solomon Northup: Captive

This second period of 12 Years a Slave, told in Chapters IIIVI, relates how Solomon finds himself
a prisoner in the slave pen of James H. Burch, a brutal slave trader in Washington, D.C. When

Solomon protests his captivity and asserts his right to freedom, Burch responds by beating him
into submission and threatening to kill him if he ever mentions his freedom again. At length,
Solomon is allowed to join the other slaves being held by Burch, and he discovers just how
hopeless his situation is. Surrounded by slaves and a few other kidnap victims, he is transported
downriver, eventually landing in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Solomon and the rest of Burchs gang are transferred into the slave pen of Burchs associate,
Theophilus Freeman. Freeman changes Solomons name to Platt, thereby erasing any
connection to his past. Solomon is put up for sale, but his sale is delayed when he contracts
smallpox, which nearly kills him. After he finally recovers, he is sold, along with a slave girl named
Eliza, to a man named William Ford.

3. Solomon Northup: Slave

Next begins the third leg of Solomon Northups journey, told in Chapters VIIXI. Solomon is now a
full-fledged slave named Platt, working on the plantation and lumber mill of William Ford, deep in
the heart of Louisiana. Ford is a kindly master, devout in his Christian faith, and given to generosity
toward his slaves. Solomon finds it almost a pleasure to be in Fords service and even figures out a
way for Ford to save considerable time and money by transporting lumber via waterway instead of
by land. Solomon is well-liked by Ford in return. However, a series of financial missteps result in
Ford selling Platt to a cruel carpenter named John M. Tibeats.
Tibeats soon becomes Platts worst enemy, constantly threatening and berating him. While
working on a project, Tibeats becomes so enraged that he attempts to whip Platt. Platt is the
stronger of the two, though, and he turns the tables on his new master, whipping him instead. Hellbent on revenge, Tibeats twice attempts to murder Platt. Only the intervention of William Ford and
his overseer, Mr. Chapin, saves the slaves life. Unable to kill him, yet bearing murderous hatred
toward him, Tibeats sells Platt to the notorious nigger breaker, Edwin Epps.

4. Solomon Northup: Slave Under Edwin Epps

The fourth phase of Solomon Northups 12 Years a Slave, told in Chapters XIIXX, focuses on the
ten years he lived under the tyranny of Edwin Epps on two different plantations in Bayou Boeuf,
along the banks of the Red River in Louisiana. Epps is indeed a cruel master. A whip is his
constant companion, and he uses it almost daily on his slaves. Solomon describes his life under
Epps in detail, relating stories of abuse, humiliation, and deprivation among all the slaves.
Patsey, a slave girl, gets the worst of Epps treatment: She is repeatedly raped by him and also
whipped by him at the insistence of his jealous wife. At the worst point, she visits a friend at a
nearby plantation simply to get a bar of soap because Epps wife wont allow her to have any.
When Patsey returns, Epps is furious, thinking her guilty of a sexual encounter. Platt is forced to
whip a naked, helpless Patsey while she screams for mercy.
The years pass by, and Solomon almost loses hope. Then he meets a carpenter named Bass, an
abolitionist from Canada who is hired to work on a building project for Epps. Bass learns of

Solomons story and decides to help. He sends letters to Solomons friends in the North, asking
them to come and rescue the slave from his captivity.

5. Solomon Northup: Free Man Again

The final section of 12 Years of Slave, Chapters XXI and XXII (and Appendix), tells of Solomons
escape from captivity. Thanks to the faithfulness of Bass, Solomons friends in the North are
alerted to his location and come to set him free. Henry B. Northup, a white man who is a relative of
the person who once owned Solomons father, gathers legal support and travels to Louisiana to
find the slave. After some searching, he finds Platt and, with the help of a local sheriff,
emancipates him from the clutches of Edwin Epps.
They travel back to New York, stopping for a time in Washington, D.C., to pursue legal charges
against James H. Burch for his role in the kidnapping of Solomon Northup. In the end, though,
Burch is acquitted because of false witnesses and racist bias in the courtroom. After that, Solomon
is finally reunited with his family in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he finds that his daughter
has married and he is now a grandfather. His grandson has been named in his honor: Solomon
Northup Staunton.

Character List
Major Characters
Solomon Northup, aka Platt A free black man who lived in the northern United States in the
1800s, Solomon was kidnapped in 1841, at age 33, and sold into slavery in the South, where he
lived until he was rescued by friends in 1853. Solomon was married to Anne (Hampton) Northup
and with her had three children: Elizabeth, Margaret, and Alonzo. The author of the memoir 12
Years a Slave, he chronicled his experience and ultimate emancipation as part of the abolitionist
movement in the mid-1800s.
Henry B. Northup A white man, related to the family that owned Solomons father as a slave, and
from the family from which Solomon took his last name. A lawyer, he journeyed south to rescue
Solomon from captivity.
Merrill Brown One of two white con men who, with Abram Hamilton, deceived Solomon Northup
and orchestrated his kidnapping. About 40 years old, short, and thick-set, Brown, with Hamilton,
promised Northup lucrative work as a violin player in a circus, and thereby convinced him to
accompany them to Washington, D.C. There they drugged him and allegedly sold him to slave
trader James H. Burch while he was unconscious.
Abram Hamilton With Merrill Brown, co-kidnapper of Solomon Northup. Around 25 years old, tall,
thin, and somewhat effeminate.
James H. Burch A brutal slave dealer who first kept Solomon Northup in captivity in Washington,
D.C. A business partner with Theophilus Freeman of New Orleans, Burch was white, around 40

years old, and a large, powerful man with chestnut hair, slightly gray. Burch shackled Northup in a
hidden slave pen and then, apparently enraged by Northups claims that he was a free man, beat
and whipped Solomon into submission. After the brutal beating, Burch threatened to kill Solomon if
he ever mentioned his freedom or background again. Believing that threat applied to all slavers,
Northup never spoke to anyone again of his being born free until nearly 12 years later. Upon being
emancipated, Northup and his lawyer pressed criminal charges against Burch and his accomplice,
Ebenezer Radburn. However, Burch prevailed in the proceedings by hiring false witnesses to
testify on his behalf.
Eliza Berry A fellow black captive in James H. Burchs Washington, D.C. slave pen and lifelong
friend to Solomon Northup. She was the mother of both Randall Berry and Emily Berry. She had
been the slave and mistress of a rich white man named Elisha Berry, who treated her kindly and
fathered her daughter, Emily. Elisha Berry promised emancipation for Eliza and her children upon
his death; however, when he passed away, his heirs reneged on that promise. Under the ruse of
taking her to get her free papers, the heirs sold Eliza and her children into Burchs slave pen. From
there, she was sent downriver, where Theophilus Freeman cruelly separated her from her children.
She was sold, with Solomon Northup, to William Ford in Louisiana. She never recovered from the
emotional devastation of losing her children, mourning them the rest of her life and dying without
ever seeing Randall or Emily again.
Theophilus Freeman A New Orleans, Louisiana, white slave trader who worked in association
with James H. Burch. He took possession of Solomon Northup in New Orleans and there forcibly
assigned him the name Platt. He ran the slave auction that sold Platt to William Ford of
Louisiana. He was responsible also for separating Eliza Berry from her children.
William Ford The white man who bought Solomon Northup and Eliza Berry from Theophilus
Freeman. Described by Northup as a noble, candid, Christian man, he owned a large plantation
as well as a lumber mill in the Great Pine Woods, in the parish of Avoyelles on the right bank of
the Red River in central Louisiana. Highly regarded by Northup as a fair and kind slave owner, he
rescued Solomon from John M. Tibeats and others on several occasions. He was forced to sell
Northup after facing financial setbacks. He later became a Baptist preacher.
John M. Tibeats A white carpenter who worked for William Ford. In 1842, he took possession of
Solomon Northup as payment of a debt by William Ford. Described as a quick-tempered, spiteful
man, Tibeats was Northups archenemy. More than once, he tried to kill Solomon out of anger but
was prevented each time. Eventually, he sold Solomon to the cruel cotton planter, Edwin Epps.
Mr. Chapin William Fords white overseer on the Bayou Boeuf plantation. Described as a kindlydisposed man. When John M. Tibeats tried to lynch and hang Solomon Northup, it was Chapin
who rescued him (at gunpoint) from Tibeats gang. He then sent word to William Ford, who came
to Solomons aid.
Edwin Epps Solomon Northups final, and cruelest, master. A cotton planter, he owned Northup
for about ten years before the slave was freed by his friends from the North. Epps was heavy, tall,
with high cheekbones and blue eyes. A frequent drunk, he was given to fits of rage and violent

mirth. He delighted in both whipping his slaves and in making them dance all night in false
exhibitions of happiness. Cunning, shrewd, and merciless, he was known as a nigger breaker.
His own slaves nicknamed him Old Hogjaw. He was guilty of frequently raping and whipping the
slave girl Patsey.
Mistress Epps Edwin Epps wife. Well-educated, attractive, and from a respected family, she was
generally kind to her husbands slavesexcept Patsey, whom she hated as a jealous rival. Unable
to convince her husband to sell Patsey, she instead insisted that her husband punish Patsey with
frequent whippings and deprivations. When Edwin Epps tried to attack Solomon Northup with a
knife, she argued in Solomons defense.
Patsey A 23-year-old black slave of Edwin Epps, and the most tragic figure in 12 Years a Slave.
Naturally a joyous creature, a laughing lighthearted girl, frequent beatings and abuse made her
despondent and suicidal as the years went on. She was a victim of repeated rapings by Edwin
Epps and also of the jealous cruelty of Epps wife. Because she was the fastest, most productive
cotton picker on Epps plantation, Epps refused to sell her, despite his wifes constant demands in
that regard. Solomon was forced to brutally whip a naked and helpless Patsey while Edwin Epps
and Mistress Epps goaded him on.
Armsby A poor white man who worked alongside field slaves at Edwin Epps plantation for a short
time. Solomon Northup asked him to mail a secret letter; in return for payment, Armsby promised
to deliver the letter from Solomon to the post office. However, Armsby betrayed his promise and
instead reported the incident to Edwin Epps.
Mr. Bass A white carpenter working to build a house on the Epps plantation. Bass was a native of
Canada and an outspoken abolitionist. Solomon Northup confided in him, and he responded with
loyalty and help. At great risk to his own safety, Bass wrote and mailed letters to Northups friends
in the North and was instrumental in helping those friends find and rescue Solomon from slavery.

Minor Characters
David Wilson Solomon Northups white editor and transcriber. Northup dictated his story to
Wilson, who wrote it down and prepared it for publication under the title 12 Years a Slave.
Anne (Hampton) Northup Solomons wife and the mother of his three children. A black woman of
mixed-race ancestry, she worked as a cook.
Cephas Parker and William Perry Co-owners of stores where Solomon Northup and his family
shopped, and friends to whom Solomon addressed his letter for help.
Elizabeth Northup Solomons oldest child, she was 10 when her father was kidnapped.
Margaret Northup Solomons second child, she was 8 when her father was kidnapped.
Alonzo Northup Solomons youngest child, he was 5 when his father was kidnapped.

Ebenezer Radburn Accomplice of James H. Burch, who was a Washington, D.C., slave dealer.
Clemens Ray A fellow black captive in Burchs Washington, D.C., slave pen.
Randall Berry Elizas treasured son and a captive in Burchs Washington, D.C., slave pen.
Emily Berry Elizas daughter, about 7 or 8 years old, and a fellow captive in Burchs slave pen.
Robert A captive with Solomon Northup, he was a co-conspirator in an aborted plan of revolt
against his white captors. He died from smallpox before the plan could be carried out.
Arthur A captive with Solomon Northup, he was a co-conspirator in an aborted plan of revolt
against his white captors. He was rescued by friends in New Orleans.
Peter Tanner William Fords brother-in-law, he took possession of Solomon Northup for a short
time. He used the whip, the Bible, and wooden stocks as means of keeping his slaves subdued.
Abram An elderly slave of Edwin Epps of failing strength and mental faculties. Kind-hearted but
absent-minded, and a great admirer of philosophy and General Jackson, he was sometimes called
Uncle Abram.
Wiley A 48-year-old field slave of Edwin Epps and married to Phebe. He tried to run away once but
was returned to Epps and beaten severely as punishment.
Phebe A house slave of Edwin Epps married to Wiley, mother of Bob and Henry, and sometimes
called Aunt Phebe.
Bob A field slave of Edwin Epps and Phebes son by a former husband.
Henry A field slave of Edwin Epps and Phebes son by a former husband.
Edward A house slave of Edwin Epps and the son of Wiley and Phebe.
Harriet Shaw Black wife of the white Mr. Shaw and a friend to Patsey.
Young Master Epps The son of Edwin and Mistress Epps. A bright, energetic boy of 10 or 12
years, who imitated with joy the cruelties of his father.
John P. Waddill A lawyer in Marksville, Louisiana, who assisted Henry B. Northup in rescuing
Solomon Northup.
Benjamin O. Shekels A slave trader and witness on behalf of James H. Burch during the trial of
James H. Burch and Ebenezer Radburn.
Benjamin A. Thorn A witness on behalf of James H. Burch during the trial.
Solomon Northup Staunton Margaret Northups son and Solomon Northups grandson.

Character Map

Critical Essays: Novel versus Film Adaptation

The film 12 Years a Slave, based on Northups memoir, was released in 2013 and went on to
receive acclaim in the motion picture industry. In addition to many other honors, it won three
Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress
for Lupita Nyongo, who played Patsey.
The film is generally faithful to Northups memoir as a whole, even lifting some dialogue directly
from the memoir, including Freemans heartless reasons for not selling Emily to William Ford. Out
of necessity, though, the movie is not as concerned with factual detail as Solomon Northup was.
This results in shortcuts of storytelling and a muddying of facts that are often found in book-to-film
adaptations.
For example, the slave trader Goodin is eliminated from the story, along with Northups experience
in his possession. The slaves Arthur and Clemens Ray are combined into one character, with the
latter being rescued in New Orleans instead of the former. Northups time with William Ford is
abridged, while the role of John M. Tibeats is inflated for the screenthe role is combined with
other minor characters and played more as a crazy man than the bitter, angry man of Northups
narrative. Only one of Tibeats murder attempts is shown, though it is embellished for dramatic
effect. Both Platts harrowing nighttime escape in the swamp and his time at Peter Tanners
plantation are eliminated completely, and some of Tanners role is added to Epps instead.

The movie lays the blame for Northups sale to Epps directly on William Ford, when in fact it was
Tibeats who sold Platt to the notorious nigger breaker. Even worse, the film suggests that after
Tibeats murder attempt, Northup told the righteous Ford about his status as a free man and
begged Ford to help him. According to the movie, those pleas fell on William Fords deaf ears. The
facts, however, are much different.
Like Northups real-life experience, the bulk of the film version of 12 Years a Slave is seen on
Epps plantation. Here, the film concerns itself chiefly with the sorrows of Patsey and, in that
regard, stays fairly true to the memoir. However, that means the film downplays or eliminates
events in Northups personal story and generally ignores other significant events that happened to
slaves Abram, Wiley, and others. Also, Northup/Platts eight-year role as the slave-whipping driver
on Epps farm is completely omitted, except for the one brutal whipping of Patsey. Henry B.
Northupthe man who actually rescued Solomon from slaveryis not included in the film. The
entire trial and acquittal of James H. Burch is also omitted, reduced to a text-only postscript as a
prelude to the final credits.
Overall, the movie 12 Years a Slave does a better-than-average job of portraying the content of its
source material, but there are too many creative licenses taken in the film to trust it as a reliable
substitute for reading Northups memoir.

BOOK VS MOVIE
In the Book
Solomon is sold to Tibeats by Ford.
Solomon is tied up and left in the sun after
fighting with Tibeats but he can breath.
Tibeats can't kill Solomon because Ford still
holds the mortgage on him.
During his transport to the south, Solomon
and the other slaves planned to revolt.
Solomon has a very complex relationship
with the Epps.

Patesy is inspired to live with hope that she

In the Movie
Ford sells Solomon to Epps to protect him
from Tibeats.
Tibeats hangs Solomon and he is standing
on his toes to be able to breath.
Ford chases Tibeats away and cuts
Solomon down before he is killed.
They all decide to keep their heads down
and endure.
They are only shown to be brutal to him
and the other slaves.

She is so despondent she wants

will one day be free and that there is

Solomon to end her misery by killing

goodness in the world.

her.

Lawyer Henry B. Northup is contacted by

This doesn't happen.

Bass to help Solomon be freed.

Solomon's wife is described to have a
racially ambiguous appearance due to being
of mixed race (Black, White, & American
Indian).

His wife is undoubtedly Black.

QUESTIONING THE STORY:

During what years was Solomon Northup a slave?
Like in the movie, the real Solomon Northup was tricked and sold into slavery in 1841 and did not
regain his freedom until January 3, 1853.
Was Solomon Northup married with two children?
In researching the 12 Years a Slave true story, we discovered that Solomon Northup married Anne
Hampton on Christmas Day, 1828. Unlike the movie, they had three children together, not two.
Their daughter Margaret and son Alonzo are portrayed in the movie, while their other child,
Elizabeth, was omitted. At the time of the kidnapping, Elizabeth, Margaret and Alonzo were 10, 8
and 5, respectively.
While enslaved, did Solomon Northup pleasure a woman he discovered was in bed with
him?
No, the flash-forward scene that unfolds early in the 12 Years a Slave movie is entirely fictitious
and was created by director Steve McQueen and screenwriter John Ridley. "I just wanted a bit of
tendernessthe idea of this woman reaching out for sexual healing in a way, to quote Marvin
Gaye. She takes control of her own body. Then after she's climaxed, she's back where she was.
She's back in hell, and that's when she turns and cries."
Did Solomon Northup really play the violin?
Yes. During our investigation into the 12 Years a Slave true story, we learned that Solomon began
playing the violin during the leisure hours of his youth, after he finished his main duty of helping his
father on the farm. In his memoir, he calls the violin "the ruling passion of my youth," going on to
say, "It has also been the source of consolation since, affording pleasure to the simple beings with
whom my lot was cast, and beguiling my own thoughts, for many hours, from the painful
contemplation of my fate."
Did two men really trick Solomon into going to Washington, D.C. with them?
Yes. Solomon met the two men in the village of Saratoga Springs, New York. The men had heard
that Solomon was an "expert player of the violin". They identified themselves using fake names
and told him that they were part of a circus company that was looking for someone with his precise
musical talent. The two men, later identified as Joseph Russell and Alexander Merrill, asked
Solomon to accompany them on a short journey to New York City and to participate with them in
performances along the way. They only delivered one performance to a sparse crowd, and it
consisted of Russell and Merrill performing somewhat elementary feats like tossing balls, frying
pancakes in a hat, ventriloquism and causing invisible pigs to squeal.
Once in New York City, Russell and Merrill encouraged Solomon to go to Washington, D.C. with
them, reasoning that the circus would pay him high wages, and since it was the summer season,
the troupe would be traveling back north anyway.
Did Solomon's kidnappers really drug him?
As he indicated in his autobiography, the real Solomon Northup is not positive that he was in fact
drugged, however, he remembers various clues that led him to that conclusion. He had spent the
day with Alexander Merrill and Joseph Russell making stops at a number of saloons in
Washington, D.C. They were observing the festivities that were part of the great funeral procession

of General Harrison. At the saloons, the two men would serve themselves, and they would then
pour a glass and hand it to Solomon. As he states in his memoir, he did not become intoxicated.
By late afternoon, he fell ill with a severe headache and nausea. His sickness progressed until he
was insensible by evening. He was unable to sleep and was stricken with severe thirst. He recalls
several people entering the room where he had been staying. They told him that he needed to
come with them to see a physician. Shortly after leaving his room and heading into the streets, his
memory escapes him and the next thing he remembers is waking up handcuffed and chained to
the floor of the Williams Slave Pen in Washington, D.C.
Why didn't Solomon tell anyone that he was a free man?
Shortly after his kidnapping, Solomon did try to tell the slave dealer James H. Birch (spelled
"Burch" in the book and movie) that he was a free man. Like in the movie, he also told Birch where
he was from and asked Birch to remove the irons that were shackling him. The slave dealer
refused and instead called upon another man, Ebenezer Rodbury, to help hold Solomon down by
his wrists. To suppress Solomon's claims of being a free man, Birch whipped him with a paddle
until it broke and then with a cat-o'-nine tails, delivering a severe number of lashes. Solomon
addresses the lashings in his memoir, "Even now the flesh crawls upon my bones, as I recall the
scene. I was all on fire. My sufferings I can compare to nothing else than the burning agonies of
hell!" Following the lashings, Birch told Solomon that he would kill him if he told anyone else that
he was a free man.
Below is a picture of Birch's slave pen in Alexandria, Virginia, circa 1865. It had been used to
house slaves being shipped from Northern Virginia to Louisiana. The building still stands today
and is currently home to the offices of the Northern Virginia Urban League. It should be noted
again that this is not the D.C. slave pen where Solomon was held. Solomon was held at the
Williams Slave Pen (aka The Yellow House), which was the most notorious slave pen in the
capital. The Williams Slave Penn was located at roughly 800 Independence Avenue SW, one block
from the Capitol, and is now the site of the headquarters of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Did a sailor really murder one of the slaves on the ship?
No. The real Solomon Northup did come up with a plan to take over the brig Orleans along with
two other slaves, Arthur and Robert. However, unlike what happens in the film, Robert did not die
after being stabbed when he came to the defense of Eliza, who in the movie is on the verge of
being raped by a sailor. Instead, Robert died from smallpox and the plan to take over the ship was
scrapped.
Was Solomon Northup's name really changed?
Yes. Evidence discovered while researching the true story behind 12 Years a Slave confirmed that
Solomon Northup's name was in fact changed to Platt Hamilton. An official record of the name
appears on the April 1841 manifest of the brig Orleans, the ship that carried Northup southward
from the Port of Richmond, Virginia to the Port of New Orleans, Louisiana. The portion of the
ship's manifest that displays the name "Platt Hamilton" is pictured below. -Ancestry.com
Is William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) accurately portrayed in the movie?
No. The movie paints William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) as a hypocrite, contradicting his
Christian sermons by overlaying them with his slave Eliza's agonizing screams. In his memoir,

Solomon Northup offers the utmost words of kindness for his former master, stating that "there
never was a more kind, noble, candid, Christian man than William Ford." Northup blames William
Ford's circumstances and upbringing for his involvement in slavery, "The influences and
associations that had always surrounded him, blinded him to the inherent wrong at the bottom of
the system of Slavery." He calls the real William Ford a "model master", going on to write, "Were
all men such as he, Slavery would be deprived of more than half its bitterness."
Did Northup really get into a scuffle with Tibeats over a set of nails?
Yes. Like in the movie, the scuffle over the nails resulted in a carpenter named John M. Tibeats
trying to whip Northup, but Northup fended off the attack, grabbed the whip, and began to strike
his attacker. Afterward, Tibeats fetched two overseers that he knew on neighboring plantations.
The men bound Northup and put a noose around his neck. They led him out to a tree where they
were going to hang him, but were stopped and chased off by Mr. Chapin, a just overseer who
worked for William Ford. When Ford returned from a trip later that day, he personally cut the cord
from Northup's wrists, arms, and ankles, and he slipped the noose from Northup's neck.
Not depicted in the movie, the 12 Years a Slave true story brings to light a second scuffle that
Northup got into with Tibeats while Ford and Chapin were away, resulting in Tibeats chasing
Northup with an axe. Fearing impending retaliation from Tibeats, that time he ran away. However,
Northup returned to the plantation after being unable to survive on his own in the harshness of the
surrounding swamps. Even though he was forgiven by Ford, the plantation owner decided to sell
Northup in part to prevent any more feuds with Tibeats. To Northup's misfortune, he ended up
being bought by a much crueler master, Edwin Epps.
Was Edwin Epps really as cruel as the movie portrays?
Yes. In fact, the real Edwin Epps was crueler than actor Michael Fassbender portrays him to be in
the movie. In addition to Edwin Epps being overcome by "dancing moods", where he would force
the exhausted slaves to dance, in real life, Epps also had his "whipping moods". Epps usually
found himself in a "whipping mood" when he was drunk. He would drive the slaves around the
yard and whip them for fun.
Did Edwin Epps really obsess over his female slave Patsey?
Yes, but the movie puts more focus on Edwin Epps's alternating passion for and disgust with
Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) than Northup's memoir. In his book, the real Solomon Northup refers to
Epps's "lewd intentions" toward Patsey, especially when he was intoxicated.
Did Edwin Epps really chase after Solomon with a knife?
Yes. In the movie, after Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) fetches Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o), he
tells her not to look in Epps direction and to continue on walking. Edwin Epps (Michael
Fassbender), who was half intoxicated and contemplating satisfying his lewd intentions toward
Patsey, demands to know exactly what Solomon said to Patsey. When Solomon refuses to tell
him, he chases after Solomon with a knife, eventually tripping over the fence of a pig pen. In the
book, he does chase after Solomon with a knife, but there is no mention of him tripping over the
fence.

Did Mistress Epps really encourage her husband to whip Patsey?

Yes. Despite Patsey having a remarkable gift for picking cotton quickly, she was one of the most
severely beaten slaves. This was mainly due to Mistress Epps encouraging her husband Edwin to
whip Patsey because, as Northup writes, Patsey had become the "slave of a licentious master and
a jealous mistress." Northup goes on to describe her as the "enslaved victim of lust and hate", with
nothing delighting Mistress Epps more than seeing Patsey suffer. Northup states that it was not
uncommon for Mistress Epps to hurl a broken bottle or billet of wood at Patsey's face.
As portrayed in the 12 Years a Slave movie, in his book Northup describes one of the whippings
that Patsey received as being "the most cruel whipping that ever I was doomed to witnessone I
can never recall with any other emotion than that of horror". It was during this whipping that Epps
forced Northup to deliver the lashings. After Northup pleaded and reluctantly whipped Patsey more
than forty times, he threw down the whip and refused to go any further. It was then that Epps
picked up the whip and applied it with "ten-fold" greater force than Northup had.
Did Patsey really beg Solomon to end her life?
No. This pivotal, emotionally-charged scene is perhaps the movie's biggest blunder with regard to
the true story. It was most likely unintentional and is the result of the filmmakers misreading a line
in Northup's autobiography. In the book, Northup is discussing the suffering of Patsey, who was
lusted for by her master and hated by his jealous wife.
"Nothing delighted the mistress so much as to see [Patsey] suffer, and more than once, when
Epps had refused to sell her, has she tempted me with bribes to put her secretly to death, and
bury her body in some lonely place in the margin of the swamp. Gladly would Patsey have
appeased this unforgiving spirit, if it had been in her power, but not like Joseph, dared she escape
from Master Epps, leaving her garment in his hand."
It is rather obvious that it is Mistress Epps who wants to bribe Northup to kill Patsey. Patsey wants
to escape like Joseph, not kill herself. It seems that the filmmakers misread the line, attributing
Mistress Epps' wishes to Patsey. It is a little discouraging to realize that this crucial scene was
likely the result of a misunderstood antecedent. -TheAtlantic.com
Did Patsey and Mistress Shaw really talk over tea?
No. In the movie, Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) and Mistress Shaw (Alfre Woodard), the black wife of a
plantation owner, have a conversation over tea. This scene was invented for the film. Director
Steve McQueen wanted to give Mistress Shaw (Alfre Woodard) a voice.
Did Armsby betray Northup by letting Epps know about Northup's letter to his friends in
New York?
Yes. In his memoir, Northup describes Armsby as a man who came to the plantation looking to fill
the position of overseer but was reduced to labor with the slaves. In an effort to better his role on
the plantation, he divulged Northup's secret to Edwin Epps. When Epps confronted Northup, he
denied ever writing the letter and Epps believed him.
Although it is not shown in the movie, this was not the first time that Solomon Northup tried to have
someone help him send a letter home. When he was on the ship that brought him south, a sailor
helped him mail a letter he'd written. That letter actually made it home to New York and was
obtained by attorney Henry B. Northup, a relative of Solomon's father's former master. Since
Solomon was not yet aware of his final destination, he could not provide a location in the letter.

Officials in New York told Henry that no action would be taken until they knew where to look for
Solomon.
Was Brad Pitt's character, Samuel Bass, based on a real person?
Yes. Samuel Bass's portrayal in the 12 Years a Slave movie is very accurate to how Northup
describes him in the book, including his argument with Edwin Epps. Much of what Bass (Brad Pitt)
says during that scene is taken almost verbatim from the book, "...but begging the law's pardon, it
lies. ... There's a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation, that will not go unpunished forever. There
will be a reckoning yetyes, 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."
Did the real Samuel Bass help to free Northup?
Yes. Like in the movie, Samuel Bass, who also appears in Northup's autobiography, was influential
in Northup's release. As the movie indicates, Samuel Bass was a Canadian who was in Louisiana
doing carpentry work for Northup's owner, Edwin Epps. Northup began assisting Bass and
eventually decided to confide in him after he learned that Bass was against slavery. After Solomon
shared his story of being tricked and kidnapped into slavery, Samuel Bass became determined to
help him, even vowing to travel to New York himself. Bass wrote letters on Solomon's behalf to
various individuals back in New York. The first of these letters ended up being the one that set in
motion the events that led to Solomon's release from slavery in early 1853. -Solomon Northup:
The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave
Who was responsible for Solomon Northup's release?
The letters written by Samuel Bass that were sent to New York eventually caught the attention of
New York Whig attorney Henry B. Northup, who was a relative of Solomon's father's former
master. Henry was a part of the family that took in Solomon's father Mintus after he was freed.
Realizing the injustice, Henry made the long journey south to Louisiana and successfully brokered
a deal for Solomon's release. After he rescued Solomon, he returned home with him and fought to
bring Solomon's kidnappers to justice. Henry was also instrumental in securing a publisher for the
memoir that would tell Solomon's story, and in finding the ghost writer, David Wilson, who lived
within five miles of Henry's home. Henry hoped that the book would alert the public to his case
against Solomon's two kidnappers.
Were Solomon Northup's parents slaves?
Our exploration into the true story behind 12 Years a Slave brought to light the fact that Solomon's
father Mintus Northup was a former slave who had been emancipated in approximately 1798. His
mother had never been a slave. She was a mulatto and was three quarters white (her name is
never mentioned in the book). Solomon was therefore born a free man in 1807, at a time when
slavery still existed in New York. Solomon's father had been a slave to Capt. Henry Northup, a
Loyalist who freed Mintus around 1798 as part of a provision in his will. Mintus took his master's
surname.
What happened to Solomon Northup after he was freed?
Upon his return home to Saratoga Springs, New York, Northup shared his story and gave
interviews to the local press. His story became well known in the North and he started to speak at
abolitionist rallies. An 1855 New York State Census confirms that he had indeed returned to his
wife Anne, as the two were together again. He also lists himself as a land owner and a carpenter.

In the hands of a ghost writer by the name of David Wilson (pictured), Northup started to provide
input for his book. It was published around the middle of July, 1853, after just three and a half
months of research, writing, and interviews by the white ghost writer Wilson, who was himself a
prominent New York lawyer and author of two books about local history. Henry Northup, the
attorney who helped to free Solomon, also contributed to the production of the book and
encouraged its speedy publication in an effort to garner public interest in bringing Northup's
kidnappers to trial.
Were Solomon Northup's kidnappers ever brought to justice?
No. With the help of public interest in Northup, partially as the result of his book, attorney Henry
Northup set his sights on two men, Alexander Merrill and Joseph Russell, who were believed to
have played pivotal roles in the kidnapping. The two men were arrested but never convicted.
Disagreements over where the case should be tried, New York or the District of Columbia, led to
the decision over jurisdiction to be sent to the New York Supreme Court and then to the New York
Court of Appeals. This was after three of the four counts against the two men had already been
dropped since it was determined that these counts originated in Washington, D.C., not the state of
New York.
During this time, the men in custody applied for release. Joseph Russell's bail was nominal and
Alexander Merrill's bail was set at $800. The New York Court of Appeals reversed the decision of
the lower courts, citing that the indictment legally could not be split, with one count being valid
while the other three were ruled invalid due to issues over jurisdiction. In May of 1857, the case
was discharged and the two men were never brought to trial. -Twelve Years a Slave - Dr. Sue
Eakin Edition
When and how did Solomon Northup die?
The last known details about Solomon Northup's life are mostly speculative and no one is certain
of his exact fate. It is believed that he might have been involved with the Underground Railroad up
until the start of the American Civil War. There are also reports of angry mobs disrupting speeches
that he gave at abolitionist rallies. This includes speeches that he was giving in Canada in the
summer of 1857. Some believe that this could have led to him being murdered, while others have
conjectured that it's possible he was kidnapped again, or that his two former kidnappers who had
been on trial went looking for Northup and killed him. Certain members of his family have passed
down the story that he had been killed in Mississippi in 1864, but there is no evidence to support
that claim. An 1875 New York State Census lists his wife Anne's marital status as "Widowed". No
grave of Solomon Northup has ever been found. -Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the
Author of Twelve Years a Slave
Is it possible that Solomon Northup planned his kidnapping with the two men in order to
split the profits?
Though the idea might seem far-fetched, there has always been some conjecture that Solomon
Northup was a willing accomplice to his kidnappers, Alexander Merrill and Joseph Russell. The
theory was that Northup planned to split with Merrill and Russell the profits from being sold into
slavery after he would either escape or have Merrill and Russell subsequently arrange for him to
be freed. In a response to reader inquiries, a newspaper column that appeared in The Saratoga
Press at the time goes as far as to raise the possibility that the case against Merrill and Russell
was thrown out for such reasons.
"We would answer by saying that since the indictment was found, the District Attorney was placed

in possession of facts that whilst proving their guilt in a measure, would prevent a conviction. To
speak more plainly, it is more than suspected that Sol Northup was an accomplice in the sale,
calculating to slip away and share the spoils, but that the purchaser was too sharp for him, and
instead of getting the cash, he got something else."
According to the testimony of John S. Enos, Alexander Merrill had attempted this scenario earlier
in his kidnapping career. Yet, with regard to Northup, no evidence was ever found to prove that he
was involved in his own kidnapping and the events chronicled in his book Twelve Years a
Slave have been widely accepted as being none other than the true story. -Twelve Years a Slave

Top Five Differences Between the Book and Film 12 Years a Slave
Whenever I see a film that has been adapted from a non-fiction book, I become
curious to see how things have changed in the process, if its a faithful adaptation or if
the screenwriter took liberties. So after seeing 12 Years a Slave, I decided to read the
book. I recommend it. Particularly this edition.
The above Kindle edition is only $0.99. And for an extra $1.99 (for that edition only),
you can get the audiobook too. Its read by Lou Gossett, Jr. Kudos to the folks at
Amazon. When you listen to the linked audiobook, the text follows along, so that if you
decide to start reading, Kindle automatically goes to the right page of the text, then
goes to the right place in the audio when you pick up the audiobook again. Anyway,
while I recommend reading it, just in case you dont want to, here are the top five
differences between the film and the book, according to me.
I must say that the film is an unusually faithful adaptation of the book. They didnt
change much, just condensed and simplified to fit it into the film. But scenes played
out almost identically with those in the book, even the dialogue, which is why the
language feels so authentic for the time rather than being in 21st century language.
5. Solomon Northups family knew what had become of him within only a couple of
weeks of his kidnapping. There was an Englishman on the ship that took him to
Louisiana, and he agreed to mail a letter for Northup. Once the letter was received,
Northups friends appealed to the governor of New York for assistance in getting
Northup back. But they didnt know where he was, so nothing could be done at that
point. Also, one of the enslaved men who had shared part of that journey with
Northup, escaped a short time later, and sought out Northups family in Saratoga
during his flight to safety in Canada, to give them news.
4. Remember Eliza, the slave Northup meets in the first days of his captivity? She is
dressed in expensive orange silks and has two children, Randall and Emily. Her
situation played out in real life pretty similarly to what is shown on screen, but is
rendered even sadder with more details. The reason she was wearing that beautiful
dress was that she had been told she and her children were being taken to get their
free papers, so she dressed them all in their best. But in reality, they were being sold
down the river by her childrens half-sister. Then, Eliza was separated from her
children and never saw them again. As in the movie, the slave merchant described his
plan right in front of her: There were heaps and piles of money to be made off
[Emily], he said, when she was a few years older. There were men enough in NewOrleans who would give five thousand dollars for such an extra, handsome, fancy
piece as Emily would be . . . She was a beautya picturea doll. At this, Eliza
became frantic. But the two were forced apart. Afterwards, Eliza would often talk to

her children as if they were there in front her her. Eliza lived only a couple of years
after she was separated from her children, though, and she basically died of grief. She
had been purchased to be a ladys maid, but, without her son and daughter, she
became depressed and lethargic and cried all the time. Eventually she was sold to a
cruel man who whipped her all the time to get her to do anything. But she barely
responded to the whippings, and eventually she just went inside the slave quarters
and lay on the floor. The other slaves fed her and tried to help her, but she was listless
and wouldnt eat, and after a few weeks or months in that condition, died.
3. About the woman, Patsey, who is badly abused by Mr. Epps and his wife: Epps rapes
her and whips her, and his wife whips her and abuses her in other ways due to
jealousy, even trying to have her killed. Thats all pretty much the same.
But theres also more back story in the book. Patsey was born and raised on the Epps
plantation. She was around 15 when Northup was first brought there, and 25 when he
left, so that was the age range when all the things described happened to her. As she
is first described: Patsey was slim and straight. She stood erect as the human form is
capable of standing. There was an air of loftiness in her movement, that neither labor,
nor weariness, nor punishment could destroy . . . She could leap the highest fences,
and a fleet hound it was indeed, that could outstrip her in a race. No horse could fling
her from his back . . . She had a genial and pleasant temper. . . Naturally, she was a
joyous creature, a laughing, light-hearted girl, rejoicing in the mere sense of
existence. I think weve all known little girls like that. Mrs. Epps adored her as a child,
and would keep her by her side, giving her treats. Northup really does sayd that she
typically picked more than 500 pounds of cotton per day, while an adult male could be
expected to average 200 pounds/day, and Solomon Northup couldnt manage even
100 pounds per day, no matter how hard he worked to avoid the whippings hed get if
he underproduced. But then Epps started raping her, and Mrs. Epps began to hate her
former favorite, and Patseys life turned into a living hell, as seen in the movieshe
was constantly at the mercy of the whims of the two Epps. Northup says he saved her
from many whippings by protesting to Mrs. Epps that Patsey was not in control of the
circumstances of her husbands infidelity. The occasion of her whipping that is shown
in the film, happened pretty much exactly that way, and Northup did say it was the
worst he had ever seen in all his years as a slave. She went to the neighbors to get
some soap because Mrs. Epps kept her from getting any, and the jealous Epps had her
whipped, first by Northup, then, when Northup refused to do it anymore, he did it
himself until he got tired, which took a long, long time. She was a changed woman
after that whipping. As Northup describes it: From that time forward she was not
what she had been. The burden of a deep melancholy weighed heavily on her spirits.
She no longer moved with that buoyant and elastic stepthere was not that mirthful
sparkle in her eyes that formerly distinguished her. The bounding vigorthe sprightly,
laughter-loving spirit of her youth, were gone. She fell into a mournful and desponding
mood, and oftentimes would start up in her sleep, and with raised hands, plead for
mercy. She became more silent than she was, toiling all day in our midst, not uttering
a word. A care-worn, pitiful expression settled on her face, and it was her humor now
to weep, rather than rejoice.
2. In the movie, one day Northups friend shows up and hes suddenly free! In real life,
it took five months to free him once the letter was sent telling them where he was,
and there was a lot of legal work. The guy (Bass) who had sent the letter to Northups
friends (played by Brad Pitt in the film), even discussed going north himself because it
took such a long time to hear back from Northups friends. The danger was such that

the letter didnt even contain Basss name, the name Northup was known by (Platt), or
his location in Louisiana. So his friend had to find him once hed arrived in Louisiana.
The only reason he had the time and money to do this was because a New York law
had been passed providing financial support to free New York citizens kidnapped into
slavery. The way they found him was first, they started asking around if anyone knew
Solomon Northup. No one did. He didnt tell anyone, even his fellow slaves, anything
about his former life and identity. But the searchers knew the area and date the letter
was sent, and focused on that. They deduced from that that Bass was the likely letter
sender and found him and got the information needed. Then they worked in a frenzy
to get the appropriate paperwork before anyone told Epps what was happening. This
involved waking up a sheriff and judge in the middle of the night, then arranging for
the sheriff to accompany them to Eppss.
1. The violin: In the film, Northup is given the violin by Ford (played by Benedict
Cumberbatch), owner of the first plantation where he is enslaved. In reality, no
mention is made in the book of where he got his violin. Likewise, theres no mention
made of him destroying his violin, as he does in the film after he is forced to whip
Patsey. So where did he get it? He may very well have purchased it himselfin
Louisiana, by law, slaves got to keep any money made from labor on Sundays.
Northups fiddling skills were enjoyed by people all over the area, and he was paid for
his performances at parties. By the way, the money made for Sunday work was what
slaves used to purchase all of their possessions: clothing, a cup to drink from, a bowl
to eat from, utensils, shoes, etc. Those were not provided for them.
Transcripcin de 12 Years A Slave: Book vs. Movie
Setting one
Minerva, New York, where Solomon Northup was born in 1808 as a free man.
main character:
solomon northup (Platt Hamilton)
A free African American man that could read and write that was drugged and sold into
slavery in 1841 and did not regain freedom until 1853, which was the same in the
movie and the book.
Setting two
Saratoga Springs, New York, where Solomon met two men that he thought were
interested in his musical talent.
First Companions:
Solomon's first companions were Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton, they took him to
Washington D.C. to play the violin.
Conflict one
Solomon must act like he is not supposed to be a free man and pretend that he
cannot read or write to avoid being beaten.
Solomon's Children:
Solomon had two kids in the movie, they were named Margaret(8) and Alonzo(5). in
the book soloman had three kids including one that was left out of the movie named
Elizabeth(10).
Major Event One:
While in Washington D.C. with Merril and Abram, Solomon had a few drugged drinks
and passed out. The next day Solomon woke up chained to a basement floor, missing
his documents that prove that he is a free man. Soon after Soloman woke up, a slave

dealer told him that he was sold into slavery, and that he was going to New Orleans.
James Birch: The slave owner that first bought Solomon.
Anne Northup
: This is Solomon's wife and the mother of his 3 children
(2 in the movie)
Solomon Northup's
12 Years A Slave:
Movie Vs. book
by Adrian holloway
major event two
mistress epps often got jealous of patsey and she would encourage Edwin epps to
whip her. one of those times edwin epps forced Solomon to deliver the lashings to his
friend patsey and after 40 lashes he refused to continue.
Patsey
: A young female slave that picks over 500 pounds of cotton every day, and she is
praised and also raped by Epps.
resolution:
Solomon tells bass about his kidnapping and he asks him for help getting a letter to
Saratoga springs, and bass agrees. A Few days after that a sheriff arrives to question
solomon about his life in new york. solomon answered the questions correctly and the
sheriff restored his freedom. once he returned to his family he was introduced to a
grandson that he didn't know about.
Major Event Three:
Tibeats didn't like the quality of Solomon's work so he messed it up and wanted him to
restart. Solomon believed that he was doing what he was told so he got mad and beat
Tibeats with his own whip. As a punishment, Tibeats was attempting to hang Solomon
but Mr.Chapin stopped them.
Recommendation
I prefer the book over the movie, because the book was completely based on facts but
the movie had some big differences.
a Major difference between the movie and the book:
in the movie patsey begged solomon to kill her, but in the book(real life)
that never happened. in the book the mistress is who begged to have patsey
killed, not patsey herself. People believe that this difference came from a
misunderstood line in the book.