Published the same year in which Solomon Northrup was freed from his
enslavement, 12 Years A Slave has been a pivotal documented memoir,
describing the history of violence and cruelty done to the African
American community. Northrup's experience is testimony to the
institutional racism in the United States, one that finally ended with
the end of the American Civil War in 1856. The memoir became a vital
source of history in the debate over slavery in the years leading up to
the Civil War.
Northrup's memoir is not just about the enslavement and the injustice he
faced, but also about the courage with which he faced it all; his
struggle for freedom; and his honest account of all that he experienced
to tell the world about the inhuman practice of slavery. After falling
into obscurity for nearly a century, it was rediscovered by a historian,
Sue Eakin, in 1936. The memoir was reissued in the 1960s. Since its
publication, the memoir has been a bestseller and has even been adapted
into two film versions - the latter was released in 2013 and even
received an Academy Award for Best Picture. Even today, 12 Years a Slave
continues to serve as a crucial piece of historical evidence as well as
a reminder of the racial injustice and brutality done to the
African-American community in that era.
12 Years A Slave (1853)
Published the same year in which Solomon Northrup was freed from his
enslavement, 12 Years A Slave has been a pivotal documented memoir,
describing the history of violence and cruelty done to the African
American community. Northrup's experience is testimony to the
institutional racism in the United States, one that finally ended with
the end of the American Civil War in 1856. The memoir became a vital
source of history in the debate over slavery in the years leading up to
the Civil War.
Northrup's memoir is not just about the enslavement and the injustice he
faced, but also about the courage with which he faced it all; his
struggle for freedom; and his honest account of all that he experienced
to tell the world about the inhuman practice of slavery. After falling
into obscurity for nearly a century, it was rediscovered by a historian,
Sue Eakin, in 1936. The memoir was reissued in the 1960s. Since its
publication, the memoir has been a bestseller and has even been adapted
into two film versions - the latter was released in 2013 and even
received an Academy Award for Best Picture. Even today, 12 Years a Slave
continues to serve as a crucial piece of historical evidence as well as
a reminder of the racial injustice and brutality done to the
African-American community in that era.
