twelve years a slave
By
Moses
Solomon Northup was a free-born African American from New York, the son of a freed
slave. A farmer and violinist, he owned a property in Hebron. In 1841 he was kidnapped by
slave-traders, having been enticed with a job offer as a violinist. When he accompanied his
supposed employers to Washington, DC, they drugged him and sold him as a slave. He was
shipped to New Orleans where he was sold to a plantation owner in Louisiana. He was held
in the Red River region of Louisiana by several different owners for 12 years, during which
time his friends and family had no word of him. He made repeated attempts to escape and
get messages out of the plantation. Eventually, he got news to his family, who contacted
friends and enlisted the Governor of New York, Washington Hunt, to his cause. He regained
his freedom in January 1853 and returned to his family in New York.
slave. A farmer and violinist, he owned a property in Hebron. In 1841 he was kidnapped by
slave-traders, having been enticed with a job offer as a violinist. When he accompanied his
supposed employers to Washington, DC, they drugged him and sold him as a slave. He was
shipped to New Orleans where he was sold to a plantation owner in Louisiana. He was held
in the Red River region of Louisiana by several different owners for 12 years, during which
time his friends and family had no word of him. He made repeated attempts to escape and
get messages out of the plantation. Eventually, he got news to his family, who contacted
friends and enlisted the Governor of New York, Washington Hunt, to his cause. He regained
his freedom in January 1853 and returned to his family in New York.
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