12 Years a Slave

A Reaction Paper

Juris Doctor
Vince Patrick L. Butalid
Student

Atty. Judiel Pareja

Professor
Abstract

This is a reaction paper on the film 12 Years a Slave. A summary of the movie is included here as
well as a discussion about slavery and how it relates or violates due process and equal protection
provided by our Constitution. These rights are also applied to the movie and the experiences of the
protagonist Solomon Northup. At the end is a conclusion on how I view slavery as a whole.

Synopsis

Solomon Northup is a free black man living in upstate New York. He is married to 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 circus—if 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.

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 “Burch’s gang” are transferred into the slave pen of Burch’s associate,
Theophilus Freeman. Freeman changes Solomon’s name to “Platt,” thereby erasing any connection to his
past. Solomon is put up for sale, and is sold along with a slave girl named Eliza, to a man named William
Ford.

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 Ford’s 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 Platt’s 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. Hell-bent on revenge,
Tibeats twice attempts to murder Platt. Only the intervention of William Ford and his overseer, Mr. Chapin,
saves the slave’s life. Unable to kill him, yet bearing murderous hatred toward him, Tibeats sells Platt to
the notorious “nigger breaker,” Edwin Epps.

For 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.

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 won’t 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 Solomon’s
story and decides to help. He sends letters to Solomon’s friends in the North, asking them to come and
rescue the slave from his captivity.
 Thanks to the faithfulness of Bass, Solomon’s 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
Solomon’s 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.

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.

Discussion

Slavery, in its essence, is a violation of Sec.1, Art. III of the 1987 Constitution as it deprives a
human being of his right to life and liberty without due process of law. There is also no equal protection for
the black slaves.

The right to life not only pertains to the physical person but as well as the living of a person, which
is to live a good life. This includes his right to give full reign to all his natural attributes, to expand the
horizons of his mind, to widen the reach of his capabilities and to enhance those moral and spiritual
values that can make his life more meaningful and rewarding. 1 To live with one’s own family is also a right
to a good life. The right to liberty is the right of freedom to do what is right and never wrong. It is the right
to act in whatever way a person wants as long as he does not violate any law or the rights of others.
These rights can only be taken from a person through due process of law, which is to give the person a
chance to be heard before being judged.

In the movie 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup has been deprived of his right to life and liberty
when he was kidnapped and sold as a slave. He was deprived of his liberty when he was no longer able
to act as he pleases. He was subject to the instructions of his masters. He was deprived of his right to life
considering the living conditions that he had to endure. He was severely beaten multiple times, a danger
to his life. All of these without any due process. He and other slaves were never given the chance to
explain or defend themselves. The masters did as they pleased. They were denied of the right to due
process of law.

Equal protection generally refers to legal quality that is every person is equal in the eyes of the
law. However, equal protection does not necessarily mean that everyone is to be treated alike. All persons
or things that are similarly situated should be treated alike, both as to rights conferred and responsibilities
imposed.2

In the film and in reality during the pre-civil war years in the United States of America, the
southern part of the country was engaged in slavery. These states allowed slavery of blacks. Slaves are
denied the equal protection of the laws in these states. Black Americans are also humans. There is clearly
no substantial difference between blacks and whites except the skin color. The discrimination by these
states against blacks is a violation of the equal protection clause. Black Americans are being treated like
property. They are given no rights in these states.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I can confirm that slavery is indeed a vile practice. It disrespects the integrity and
the dignity of a human being. Slavery deprives a person of his freedom and his life. Slaves are treated like
objects by the masters who do as they please without any remorse. Although some masters are not
harsh, it does not change the fact that they see these slaves as property that they can dispose anytime
they want. No person deserves such treatment. Even without the application of laws, I can ascertain that
slavery is not good because the practices are immoral. A normal person with morals would certainly be
disgusted at slavery and what it does to these slaves. Slavery does not only violate the law but it also
violates the morals of society. It should never be allowed to exist in the society again.

References
1
I. Cruz, Constitutional Law p.104 (2007)
2
I. Cruz, Constitutional Law p.124 (2007)