12 Years a Slave
Extra Credit Project

Solomon Northup was born a freeman in Minerva, New York, in 1808. He married Anne Hampton in 1829. Together they had three children. During the 1830’s, he became locally renowned as an excellent fiddle player. In 1841 two men offered Northrup very good pay to join a traveling musical show. But soon after he accepted the deal they sold him into slavery. He was sold into slavery in New Orleans. He served under many masters, some very brutal and others praised him for his ingenious additions. Under the ownership of Edwin Epps, he came into contact with an abolitionist from Canada, who sent letters to tell his family where he was. After he was freed he filed kidnapping charges against his captors. He is believed to have died in 1863. This film fits into the larger picture of American History by showing how disgusting people can be, by tricking a free man into slavery, by publishing this book along with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, they both provide insight on how life was in slavery, how things needed to change, and change now.

So these two pictures were the best pieces of evidence to support that the movie was just like the real story. I felt like finding actual pictures instead of an article, I feel like pictures are the best piece of evidence to support my position.

In the first picture it is Edwin Epps’ young slave Patsy. Epps idolized Patsy due to the fact of how much cotton she picked each day, which was roughly around 500 lbs. In the movie Epps brutally whipped Patsy, and made Solomon do it to.