Solomon Northup's Liberation

Solomon Northup recounts his own story as a slave to express the need for emancipation in United States, revealing the inhumane conditions men and women endured as slaves. His own narrative, Twelve Years a Slave, published before the civil war, promoted a convincing message by displaying the horrors of his own capture through his liberation. Originally a prominent and skilled free man, Northup was drugged, captured and shipped from his family life in New York to be sold as property. He was forced to suppress his identity by masters who were only concerned with his market value. Northup’s novel explains the need for emancipation after living through the horrible and degrading conditions of a slave.
Waking up in the darkness, iron chains encasing
his body, Northup knew he had been deceived. In the days following, he would be sold and given a whole new identity under the name “Platt” by his holder, Theophilus Freeman, to keep his true freedom concealed. After being sold to William Ford, “Platt” was forced to take on the labors of a slave on a plantation in Louisiana. He finds favor with his owner, but this bliss is quickly interrupted by Ford’s own financial issues, which causes Platt’s to be sold to a vindictive carpenter named John M. Tibeats. Repetitively threatening and degrading him, Tibeats finally attempts to reprimand Platt with his whip, but is overcome by his slave’s own strength and is whipped himself in the brawl. Tibeats is overcome with a mortal revenge, but Platt escapes various murder attempts and is rescued by the influence of his previous owner William Ford. Tibeats however finds a way to get his revenge and sells Platt to a notorious slave owner, Edwin Epps.
For the next ten years, Platt’s eyes are opened to the true brutality of slavery observing and encountering the wrath of his owner.
Under Epps’ tyranny, slaves are beaten, whipped, deprived, and degraded to only be kept alive for their labor skills. Patsey, originally a happy girl, received brunt of Epps’ abuse being repeatedly raped and whipped at his enjoyment. Mistress Epps became jealous of Patsey and ordered her abuse. At one point, Platt was forced to whip Patsey naked, as the Epps’ observed the brutality. Slowly losing all hope of being reunited with his family, Platt meets a carpenter employed by Epps named Bass, who is an abolitionist himself.
Bass orchestrates Northup’s freedom by sending letters to his friends in the North, who come down and rescue him from captivity and prove his freedom. Northup travels back up North and is reunited with his family in New York. He meets his own grandson, Solomon Northup Staunton named after himself. In the years following, he decided to have his story written, hoping to gain support and convince the people of the need for the freedom of all slaves. Northup’s narrative provided an evidential account of the life of a slave and the extreme injustices they had to suffer, which gives historical information for our
time.