Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New-York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, from a Cotton Plantation near the Red River in Louisiana
By Northup, Solomon
Classic work by Northup, Solomon.
Table of Contents
Introductory--Ancestry--The Northup Family--Birth and Parentage--Mintus Northup--Marriage with Anne Hampton--Good Resolutions--Champlain Canal--Rafting Excursion to Canada--F...
The two Strangers--The Circus Company--Departure from Saratoga--Ventriloquism and Legerdemain--Journey to New-York--Free Papers--Brown and Hamilton--The haste to reach the Circ...
Painful Meditations--James H. Burch--Williams' Slave Pen in Washington--The Lackey, Radburn--Assert my Freedom--The Anger of the Trader--The Paddle and Cat-o'-nine-tails--The W...
Eliza's Sorrows--Preparation to Embark--Driven Through the Streets of Washington--Hail, Columbia--The Tomb of Washington--Clem Ray--The Breakfast on the Steamer--The happy Bird...
Arrival at Norfolk--Frederick and Maria--Arthur, the Freeman--Appointed Steward--Jim, Cuffee, and Jenny--The Storm--Bahama Banks--The Calm--The Conspiracy--The Long Boat--The ...
Freeman's Industry--Cleanliness and Clothes--Exercising in the Show Room--The Dance--Bob, the Fiddler--Arrival of Customers--Slaves Examined--The Old Gentleman of New-Orleans--...
The Steamboat Rodolph--Departure from New-Orleans--William Ford--Arrival at Alexandria, on Red River--Resolutions--The Great Pine Woods--Wild Cattle--Martin's Summer Residence-...
Ford's Embarrassments--The Sale to Tibeats--The Chattel Mortgage--Mistress Ford's Plantation on Bayou Boeuf--Description of the Latter--Ford's Brother-in-law, Peter Tanner--Mee...
The Hot Sun--Yet bound--The Cords sink into my Flesh--Chapin's Uneasiness--Speculation--Rachel, and her Cup of Water--Suffering increases--The Happiness of Slavery--Arrival of ...
Return to Tibeats--Impossibility of pleasing him--He attacks me with a Hatchet--The Struggle over the Broad Axe--The Temptation to Murder him--Escape across the Plantation--Obs...
The Mistress' Garden--The Crimson and Golden Fruit--Orange and Pomegranate Trees--Return to Bayou Boeuf--Master Ford's Remarks on the way--The Meeting-with Tibeats--His Account...
Personal Appearance of Epps--Epps, Drunk and Sober--A Glimpse of his History--Cotton Growing--The Mode of Ploughing and Preparing Ground--Of Planting, of Hoeing, of Picking, of...
The Curious Axe-Helve--Symptoms of approaching Illness--Continue to decline--The Whip ineffectual--Confined to the Cabin--Visit by Dr. Wines--Partial Recovery--Failure at Cotto...
Destruction of the Cotton Crop in 1845--Demand for Laborers in St. Mary's Parish--Sent thither in a Drove--The Order of the March--The Grand Coteau--Hired to Judge Turner on ...
Labors on Sugar Plantations--The Mode of Planting Cane--of Hoeing Cane--Cane Ricks--Cutting Cane--Description of the Cane Knife--Winrowing--Preparing for Succeeding Crops--Desc...
Overseers--How they are Armed and Accompanied--The Homicide--His Execution at Marksville--Slave Drivers--Appointed Driver on removing to Bayou Boeuf--Practice makes perfect--Ep...
Wiley disregards the counsels of Aunt Phebe and Uncle Abram, and is caught by the Patrollers--The Organization and Duties of the latter--Wiley Runs Away--Speculations in regard...
O'Niel, the Tanner--Conversation with Aunt Phebe overheard--Epps in the Tanning Business--Stabbing of Uncle Abram--The Ugly Wound--Epps is Jealous--Patsey is Missing--Her Retur...
Avery, on Bayou Rouge--Peculiarity of Dwellings--Epps builds a New House--Bass, the Carpenter--His Noble Qualities--His Personal Appearance and Eccentricities--Bass and Epps di...
Bass faithful to his word--His Arrival on Christmas Eve--The Difficulty of Obtaining an Interview--The Meeting in the Cabin--Non-arrival of the Letter--Bass announces his Inten...
The Letter reaches Saratoga--Is forwarded to Anne--Is laid before Henry B. Northup--The Statute of May 14, 1840--Its Provisions--Anne's Memorial to the Governor--The affidavits...
Arrival in New-Orleans--Glimpse of Freeman--Genois, the Recorder--His Description of Solomon--Reach Charleston Interrupted by Custom House Officers--Pass through Richmond--Arri...
INTRODUCTORY--ANCESTRY--THE NORTHUP FAMILY--BIRTH AND PARENTAGE--MINTUS NORTHUP--MARRIAGE WITH ANNE HAMPTON--GOOD RESOLUTIONS--CHAMPLAIN CANAL--RAFTING EXCURSION TO CANADA--F...
THE TWO STRANGERS--THE CIRCUS COMPANY--DEPARTURE FROM SARATOGA--VENTRILOQUISM AND LEGERDEMAIN--JOURNEY TO NEW-YORK--FREE PAPERS--BROWN AND HAMILTON--THE HASTE TO REACH THE CIRC...
PAINFUL MEDITATIONS--JAMES H. BURCH--WILLIAMS' SLAVE PEN IN WASHINGTON--THE LACKEY, RADBURN--ASSERT MY FREEDOM--THE ANGER OF THE TRADER--THE PADDLE AND CAT-O'-NINETAILS--THE WH...
ELIZA'S SORROWS--PREPARATION TO EMBARK--DRIVEN THROUGH THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON--HAIL, COLUMBIA--THE TOMB OF WASHINGTON--CLEM RAY--THE BREAKFAST ON THE STEAMER--THE HAPPY BIRD...
ARRIVAL AT NORFOLK--FREDERICK AND MARIA--ARTHUR, THE FREEMAN--APPOINTED STEWARD--JIM, CUFFEE, AND JENNY--THE STORM--BAHAMA BANKS--THE CALM--THE CONSPIRACY--THE LONG BOAT--THE S...
FREEMAN'S INDUSTRY--CLEANLINESS AND CLOTHES--EXERCISING IN THE SHOW ROOM--THE DANCE--BOB, THE FIDDLER--ARRIVAL OF CUSTOMERS--SLAVES EXAMINED--THE OLD GENTLEMAN OF NEW-ORLEANS--...
THE STEAMBOAT RODOLPH--DEPARTURE FROM NEW-ORLEANS--WILLIAM FORD--ARRIVAL AT ALEXANDRIA, ON RED RIVER--RESOLUTIONS--THE GREAT PINE WOODS--WILD CATTLE--MARTIN'S SUMMER RESIDENCE-...
FORD'S EMBARRASSMENTS--THE SALE TO TIBEATS--THE CHATTEL MORTGAGE--MISTRESS FORD'S PLANTATION ON BAYOU BOEUF--DESCRIPTION OF THE LATTER--FORD'S BROTHER-IN-LAW, PETER TANNER--MEE...
THE HOT SUN--YET BOUND--THE CORDS SINK INTO MY FLESH--CHAPIN'S UNEASINESS--SPECULATION--RACHEL, AND HER CUP OF WATER--SUFFERING INCREASES--THE HAPPINESS OF SLAVERY--ARRIVAL OF ...
RETURN TO TIBEATS--IMPOSSIBILITY OF PLEASING HIM--HE ATTACKS ME WITH A HATCHET--THE STRUGGLE OVER THE BROAD AXE--THE TEMPTATION TO MURDER HIM--ESCAPE ACROSS THE PLANTATION--OBS...
THE MISTRESS' GARDEN--THE CRIMSON AND GOLDEN FRUIT--ORANGE AND POMEGRANATE TREES--RETURN TO BAYOU BOEUF--MASTER FORD'S REMARKS ON THE WAY--THE MEETING WITH TIBEATS--HIS ACCOUNT...
PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF EPPS--EPPS, DRUNK AND SOBER--A GLIMPSE OF HIS HISTORY--COTTON GROWING--THE MODE OF PLOUGHING AND PREPARING GROUND--OF PLANTING--OF HOEING, OF PICKING, OF...
THE CURIOUS AXE-HELVE--SYMPTOMS OF APPROACHING ILLNESS--CONTINUE TO DECLINE--THE WHIP INEFFECTUAL--CONFINED TO THE CABIN--VISIT BY DR. WINES--PARTIAL RECOVERY--FAILURE AT COTTO...
DESTRUCTION OF THE COTTON CROP IN 1845--DEMAND FOR LABORERS IN ST. MARY'S PARISH--SENT THITHER IN A DROVE--THE ORDER OF THE MARCH--THE GRAND COTEAU--HIRED TO JUDGE TURNER ON BA...
LABORS ON SUGAR PLANTATIONS--THE MODE OF PLANTING CANE--OF HOEING CANE--CANE RICKS--CUTTING CANE--DESCRIPTION OF THE CANE KNIFE--WINROWING--PREPARING FOR SUCCEEDING CROPS--DESC...
OVERSEERS--HOW THEY ARE ARMED AND ACCOMPANIED--THE HOMICIDE--HIS EXECUTION AT MARKSVILLE--SLAVE-DRIVERS--APPOINTED DRIVER ON REMOVING TO BAYOU BOEUF--PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT--EP...
WILEY DISREGARDS THE COUNSELS OF AUNT PHEBE AND UNCLE ABRAM, AND IS CAUGHT BY THE PATROLLERS--THE ORGANIZATION AND DUTIES OF THE LATTER--WILEY RUNS AWAY--SPECULATIONS IN REGARD...
O'NIEL, THE TANNER--CONVERSATION WITH AUNT PHEBE OVERHEARD--EPPS IN THE TANNING BUSINESS--STABBING OF UNCLE ABRAM--THE UGLY WOUND--EPPS IS JEALOUS--PATSEY IS MISSING--HER RETUR...
AVERY, OF BAYOU ROUGE--PECULIARITY OF DWELLINGS--EPPS BUILDS A NEW HOUSE--BASS, THE CARPENTER--HIS NOBLE QUALITIES--HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND ECCENTRICITIES--BASS AND EPPS DI...
BASS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD--HIS ARRIVAL ON CHRISTMAS EVE--THE DIFFICULTY OF OBTAINING AN INTERVIEW--THE MEETING IN THE CABIN--NON-ARRIVAL OF THE LETTER--BASS ANNOUNCES HIS INTEN...
THE LETTER REACHES SARATOGA--IS FORWARDED TO ANNE--IS LAID BEFORE HENRY B. NORTHUP--THE STATUTE OF MAY 14, 1840--ITS PROVISIONS--ANNE'S MEMORIAL TO THE GOVERNOR--THE AFFIDAVITS...
ARRIVAL IN NEW-ORLEANS--GLIMPSE OF FREEMAN--GENOIS, THE RECORDER--HIS DESCRIPTION OF SOLOMON--REACH CHARLESTON--INTERRUPTED BY CUSTOM HOUSE OFFICERS--PASS THROUGH RICHMOND--ARR...