Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition

by Solomon Northup

  We left Washington in the 20th of January, and proceeding by the way of Philadelphia, New-York, and Albany, reached Sandy Hill in the night of the 21st. My heart overflowed with happiness as I looked around upon old familiar scenes, and found myself in the midst of friends of other days. The following morning I started, in company with several acquaintances, for Glens Falls, the residence of Anne and our children.

  As I entered their comfortable cottage, Margaret was the first that met me. She did not recognize me. When I left her, she was but seven years old, a little prattling girl, playing with her toys. Now she was grown to womanhood—was married, with a bright-eyed boy standing by her side. Not forgetful of his enslaved, unfortunate grand-father, she had named the child Solomon Northup Staunton. When told who I was, she was overcome with emotion, and unable to speak. Presently Elizabeth entered the room, and Anne came running from the hotel, having been informed of my arrival. They embraced me, and with tears flowing down their cheeks, hung upon my neck. But I draw a veil over a scene which can better be imagined than described.

  When the violence of our emotions had subsided to a sacred joy—when the household gathered round the fire, that sent out its warm and crackling comfort through the room, we conversed of the thousand events that had occurred—the hopes and fears, the joys and sorrows, the trials and troubles we had each experienced during the long separation. Alonzo was absent in the western part of the State. The boy had written to his mother a short time previous, of the prospect of his obtaining sufficient money to purchase my freedom. From his earliest years, that had been the chief object of his thoughts and his ambition. They knew I was in bondage. The letter written on board the brig, and Clem Ray himself, had given them that information. But where I was, until the arrival of Bass’ letter, was a matter of conjecture. Elizabeth and Margaret once returned from school—so Anne informed me—weeping bitterly. On inquiring the cause of the children’s sorrow, it was found that, while studying geography, their attention had been attracted to the picture of slaves working in the cotton-field, and an overseer following them with his whip. It reminded them of the sufferings their father might be, and as it happened, actually was, enduring in the South. Numerous incidents, such as these, were related—incidents showing they still held me in constant remembrance, but not, perhaps, of sufficient interest to the reader, to be recounted.

  My narrative is at an end. I have no comments to make upon the subject of Slavery. Those who read this book may form their own opinions of the “peculiar institution.” What it may be in other States, I do not profess to know; what it is in the region of Red River, is truly and faithfully delineated in these pages. This is no fiction, no exaggeration. If I have failed in anything, it has been in presenting to the reader too prominently the bright side of the picture. I doubt not hundreds have been as unfortunate as myself; that hundreds of free citizens have been kidnapped and sold into slavery, and are at this moment wearing out their lives on plantations in Texas and Louisiana. But I forbear. Chastened and subdued in spirit by the sufferings I have borne, and thankful to that good Being through whose mercy I have been restored to happiness and liberty, I hope henceforward to lead an upright though lowly life, and rest at last in the church yard where my father sleeps.

  Arrival home and the first meeting with his family

  After Freedom: What Happened?

  by Sue Eakin as edited by Sara Eakin Kuhn

  After the closing of his narrative, neither Solomon Northup nor David Wilson, the ghost writer, left documents detailing the rest of Solomon’s life. However, we are all curious; what happened to this man who had suffered slavery for twelve years far away from his family? What happened to the kidnappers? Were they allowed to retain their freedom, perhaps continuing to kidnap innocent free men and women and then sell them into slavery? What was life like for the Northup family before he was kidnapped? What was it like after this disruption of twelve years?

  Though there is no authoritative record by one of the principals to answer these questions, many answers can be attained through the diligent work of examining public records and newspapers of the period. Indeed, David Fiske has done this work and published in 2012 Solomon Northup: His Life Before and After Slavery, if the reader wishes more detail after reading this chapter.

  The book inflamed the passions of abolitionists and fueled the public debate over slavery, as it received extensive coverage in major Northern newspapers. Updates on Solomon and his story appeared frequently in the press. Also, Solomon Northup and his family left records in the court system. Here are information and conclusions based upon those sources.

  Life Before the Kidnapping

  First, who was Solomon Northup? What kind of man was he? He was apparently a very social person who knew how to perform the fiddle in front of groups and mingle with the people. The fact that he was in most ways an average black man in Saratoga Springs makes his story all the more significant. This kidnapping could have happened to any black man in the North, as it did to Robert and to Arthur, as recorded in Twelve Years A Slave.

  As for his education, like other upstate New Yorkers, white or black, this new country had not had the time yet to think much about it, other than the practical sort needed to create hands to help build primitive dwellings and to work farms. Education, for the most part, could wait; children were needed for tasks such as helping with the clearing of land and establishing homes on the frontier. Mintus Northup, Solomon’s father, probably sent his sons to Sabbath schools, often not lasting very long, but it was the best opportunity that existed for black children.211

  Solomon married Anne Hampton in 1828, and there were three children.212 At home Anne was dependable and never wanted for a job, and, as for the children, when their mother had to live away from Saratoga Springs, they simply moved in with her sister, who cared for them. Solomon hunted for jobs of one kind or another, but Anne was the stable financial supporter. Probably some of the other free men of color, of whom there were twenty-eight in Saratoga Springs, had similar arrangements, and took jobs waiting tables or cooking, as Myra B. Young Armstead writes most colored men did.213 Intelligent, curious, and creative, Solomon might not have wanted a position as a waiter or cook, especially as it meant being tied down to long hours that probably ran seven days a week during the tourist season. There would have been little time for his explorations and his music.

  Solomon went from job to job. Indications of the kinds of work Solomon performed as well as a clue as to what might have caused him to go with two strangers to the South without his freeman papers in his possession at all times appear in court documents. In June of 1838, Solomon had a contract to deliver lumber by raft to Washington Allen in Waterford. Allen and Northup quarreled about the quality of Northup’s work, with Allen firing Northup. The reason for Allen’s complaint seems to be that Northup had been drinking to the point that he was not capable, and Allen hired someone else to complete the job. When Allen wouldn’t pay Northup what was owed under the contract, Northup filed suit. The testimony of witnesses states that Northup had indeed been drinking; Prindle, the man who would later warn Solomon against leaving Saratoga Springs with the “circus promoters,” stated that Northup was drinking a lot on the job, but that he could still perform his duties. He went on to indicate that Northup often drank, though not usually to excess. The jury in the suit and a subsequent appeal both ruled in Northup’s favor.214

  Perhaps this occasion reflects the point that Solomon makes in Chapter One of his narrative, when he refers to Saratoga Springs in this way:

  The society and associations at that world-renowned watering place, were not calculated to preserve the simple habits of industry and economy to which I had been accustomed, but, on the contrary, to substitute others in their stead, tending to shiftlessness and extravagance. (Twelve Years a Slave, 26)

  Such habits would also perhaps explain the fact that he is listed in the Index of Convictions for Saratoga County as having been convicted of three incidences o
f assault.215 The incidences of his drinking and misbehavior may at least partially illustrate the characteristics that led him to accompany Merrill and Russell to Washington.

  Getting Home

  Shortly after Solomon Northup and Henry Northup arrived in Washington, D.C., a reporter for the New York Times had the first interview with Solomon and generated considerable public interest in the case, especially throughout New York. The Saratogian and other area newspapers copied the article and stimulated still more public interest in the story of the daring rescue of a free man of color, a New York citizen, by a prominent New York politician, Henry B. Northup.

  The front page article in the New York Times on January 20, 1853, gave much information about this powerful human story. The information that it published was from Washington, D.C., and the newspaper stated that the article was “a more complete and authentic record” than had previously been printed. It summarized Solomon’s life, stating that he was a free colored citizen, born in Essex County of the United States about 1808, and that he had lived and married in Washington County. He was living with his wife and children in Saratoga Springs in the winter of 1841. With the reference to the material either summarized or quoted from this article appearing at the end of of this section, here is what the article stated about the kidnapping itself:

  January 20, 1853:

  THE KIDNAPPING CASE.

  Narrative of the Seizure and Recovery of

  Solomon Northup.

  Interesting Disclosures.

  . . . and while there was employed by two gentlemen to drive a team South, at the rate of a dollar a day. In fulfillment of his employment he proceeded to New-York, and having taken out free papers, to show that he was a citizen, he went on to Washington City, . . . and put up at GADSBY’S Hotel. Soon after he arrived, he felt unwell and went to bed. While suffering with severe pain some persons came in, and, seeing the condition he was in, proposed to give him some medicine and did so. That is the last thing of which he had any recollection until he found himself chained to the floor of WILLIAMS’ slave pen in this City, and handcuffed. In the course of a few hours, JAMES H. BURCH, a slave-dealer, came in and the colored man asked him to take the irons off from him, and wanted to know why they were put on. BURCH told him it was none of his business. The colored man said he was free and told where he was born. Burch called in a man by the name of EBENEZER RODBURY [sic], and they two stripped the man and laid him across a bench, RODBURY holding him down by the wrists. BURCH whipped him with a paddle until he broke that, and then with a cat-o’-nine tails, giving him a hundred lashes, and he swore he would kill him if he ever stated to any one that he was a free man. From that time forward the man says that he did not communicate the fact from fear, either that he was a free man, or what his name was, until the last summer . . .

  The article continues with a description of Solomon’s being delivered to Williams’ slave pen in Washington and being kept there for ten days, then boarding the brig Orleans for New Orleans. Solomon was hospitalized with small pox, recovered adequately, and was sold to Mr. Ford. The article tells of the letter that finally reached Henry Northup, the legal steps that were necessary to deliver Northup, and Henry and Solomon Northup’s return to New Orleans, where the two men traced the titles of Solomon through the ownership of his masters. In short, the article gives an abbreviated summary of some of the portions of Twelve Years a Slave regarding the kidnapping, servitude, and rescue of Solomon Northup.

  The Identification and Arrest of Burch216

  Solomon Northup and Henry B. Northup, as stated in the New York Times, were in Washington, D.C., where the slave trader Burch lived. They located the man who was keeper of the slave pen at the time (1841) when Solomon Northup was placed there by Burch; he verified these facts. The two men proceeded to file a complaint against Burch for kidnapping and selling Northup into slavery with the Washington Police. Burch was arrested and held until a fellow slave trader made his bail of $3,000.

  The newspaper includes this interesting comment before continuing to describe the legal machinations to bring Burch to trial:

  It is but justice to say that the authorities of Avoyelles, and indeed at New-Orleans, rendered all the assistance in their power to secure the establishment of the freedom of this unfortunate man, who had been snatched so villainously from the land of freedom, and compelled to undergo sufferings almost inconceivable in this land of heathenism, where slavery exists with features more revolting than those described in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

  On the day after Burch was arrested, both Burch and Northup appeared, each with witnesses and counsel, Henry Northup being Solomon’s attorney. Burch was accompanied by two slave traders. Henry Northup tried to have Solomon Northup approved as a witness for the prosecution, but his testimony was declared inadmissible because of his status as a colored man, handicapping the plaintiffs. Though Solomon was not allowed to testify, others were:

  Mr. Shekels [a slave trader who paid Burch’s bail and was serving as a witness for the defense] . . . testified that some ten or twelve years ago he was keeping public house in this city; that BURCH boarded at the house and carried on the business of buying and selling slaves; that in that year, two white men came into his barroom and stated that they had a slave for sale . . . The white men stated that they were from Georgia; had brought the negro with them from that State; that the negro expressed a willingness to be sold in order to return to Georgia; SHEKELS, however, was unable to state the names of either of the white men, or the name of the colored man; was unacquainted with either of them previous to that time, and had never seen either since that transaction; that he saw them execute a bill of sale to BURCH, saw BURCH pay him $625 and take the bill of sale . . .

  A century and a half later, these details aid in discovering exactly what happened. The inability of Solomon Northup to testify made it impossible to punish Burch, since there was no one who would identify Burch as one of the men buying the slave. Burch was not tried.

  Arriving in New York

  Henry Northup, returning home to New York after his long journey to rescue Solomon Northup, gave little thought to taking a rest. Instead, the dedicated New York Whig attorney felt his job had just begun. The kidnappers had to be apprehended and prosecuted for the kidnapping of Solomon Northup. At the same time, Solomon Northup began speaking at abolitionist rallies, and donations for his use were sometimes taken.

  Solomon and Anne are mentioned as being together in the Census of the State of New York for 1855. Anne Northup, 48, is listed as living in Washington County for eight years with her husband Solomon from Essex County, who had lived in the home for two years. Solomon Northup was listed as a land owner and carpenter, which trade would have allowed him the freedom to go to different places. However, it would not be a stable income.

  Some indication of Solomon’s financial condition after he returned to Saratoga Springs from slavery may be seen by several mentions of him in Warren County records.217 On May 16, 1853, a document indicating the purchase of a lot of land in the Town of Queensbury began with “an indenture” [deed] secured with a payment of $140 of a total of $275 [Grantee Index, Warren County, State of New York, U297, sale between Abraham and Mary Ann Tice and Solomon Northup, May 16, 1853]. In Warren County, there was the case of John T.B. Traphagan and Charles R. Bennett against Solomon Northup. On June 10, 1854, judgment was rendered against the defendant for $43.84, plus costs of $1.03, the debt “remaining unsatisfied,” to amount of $44.87 plus 25 cents for transcripts [See John T.B. Traphagan and Charles R. Bennett vs. Solomon Northup]. In September 1854, the Supreme Court of Warren County issued a judgment in the case of William Arlin against Solomon Northup in which a judgment was granted the plaintiff on October 23, 1854, for $150.64 plus court costs for an unpaid debt of $102.64 to be paid by January 8, 1855. In 1854, on October 9, Benjamin Carlle, Jr. received a judgment against Solomon Northup for a debt of $102.92, plus court costs of $53.80, for a total of $156.75. It’s clear that soon
after Solomon returned to New York, financial problems began and apparently never ended.

  Soon after their return to New York, the attorney began traveling with Solomon around the state looking for a publisher for a book to tell Solomon Northup’s story. An agreement was reached with Derby and Miller Publishers, who were to pay $3,000 to Solomon Northup for the copyright of his story.218 There is no confirmation that the copyright payment of $3,000 was ever made. Also, the people of Arkansas planned to send him $5,000, according to The Salem Press, but, if that money was ever sent, there has been no evidence found that the money reached him.219

  David Wilson, the writer, lived within five miles of Henry Northup’s home.220 Likely, Henry Northup had already talked over the story with him and piqued his interest for the book to be published as quickly as possible. As for the information needed for writing, Wilson had Solomon Northup and the attorney Henry Northup available for interviews as often as he needed them. He also had the benefit of the New York Times article published shortly after the Northups arrived in Washington, D.C. from Louisiana. Henry Northup himself played a major supporting role, furnishing considerable firsthand information to the ghost writer. With only three to four months in which to write the book and have it published, David Wilson needed all of the help he could get.221