12 Years A Slave Sparknotes

In the early nineteenth century, the treatment of slaves in the southern United States was horrific. In fact, the system of slavery was so brutal that many slaves could not survive under the conditions they were placed. However, there were cases of those slaves who could persevere through the face of adversity, and one such case is the story of Solomon Northup. In his 1853 novel, 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup tells the tale of his kidnapping as a free black man, the years he spent as a Southern plantation slave, and his eventual return home. From reading the novel, Solomon describes some of the brutalities of the system of slavery, and shares his experiences with some slaves who cracked under the pressure. Yet, Solomon was one of those who was able the determination to endure through the worst of it,
and worked with others to help preserve each others’ survival.
Northup describes some of these cases in various chapters of 12 Years a Slave, namely chapters eight, fourteen, and nineteen. The first example of resistance to slavery in 12 Years a Slave is featured in chapter eight. At this point in the novel, Northup (now named “Platt”) is a slave under plantation owner William Ford. Platt had proved himself to Ford as a good worker, and built somewhat of a relation with him. Platt considers Ford one of the “better” slave owners, as he was a noble, Christian man. But Ford gets into a bit of financial trouble and ends up selling Platt to John M. Tibeats, Ford’s carpenter. Under Tibeats, Platt works relentlessly to many unreasonable demands. Tibeats is also a very abusive master, as he tries to kill Platt more than once. In one of these events, Platt’s first major resistance to slavery is seen. Platt and Tibeats get into a confrontation, and Platt overpowers Tibeats when he tries to whip him. Northup wrote, “Before the blow descended, however, I had caught him by the collar of the coat, and drawn him
closely to me. Reaching down, I seized him by the ankle, and pushing him back with the other hand, he fell over on the ground” (Northup). Before this encounter, Northup had only written about some of the major injustices that come with slavery, such as the capture and sale of people. Through this, Northup now shifts his focus to the day-to-day injustices that occur within the system of slavery. Northup reacts accordingly and defends himself against the advances of Tibeats, yet in the South this is not the standard procedure. In defending himself against Tibeats on various occasions, Northup is not only highlights his conflict with the abusive master, but also shows an underlying resistance to the beatings and cruelty slaves receive on a daily basis. What this chapter also shows, is that physical resistance is not a satisfactory solution to fight against the injustices of slavery. This builds a reputation for Platt, which eventually leads to his sale to the cruel plantation owner, Edwin Epps.