Category: 12 Years A Slave

Insights from 12 Years a Slave and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Slavery in the U.S. during the 1800s

Slavery was a major issue in the 1800s in the U.S. The country was divided into the North and South, where slavery was legal in the South. Most people at this time tried escaping to the North to escape slavery. Solomon Northup’s 12 Years, a Slave and Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass tells the story of what slavery was really like at this time. They both explain how they became slaves, what their lives were like, how they were treated by their owners, and how finally, after years, they were able to escape slavery.

Northup’s Harrowing Journey in “12 Years a Slave”

Northup’s 12 Years a Slave is about how he was born a free man in New York and eventually was sold into slavery. Solomon was the son of a liberated slave. He had a wife, Anne, and three children. Solomon worked several jobs so that he could support his family. One day, he comes across two white men, Hamilton and Brown, and they offer him to play the violin in a few shows around the U.S. Solomon accepts this offer so that he can make a little extra money to help his family.

However, this new job is not going very well since not too many people are showing up to the shows. They then decide they should probably try going south, so Solomon gets “free papers” to go with them without having any issues. Once they are in the South, they decide to go out and drink. After a few drinks, Solomon starts feeling ill and eventually loses consciousness. He wakes up days later, and he is in chains and imprisoned in a dark, little room. He notices that his “free papers” are stolen. He was captured by James Burch, a slave dealer.

Solomon spends a couple of weeks as a slave until he is transferred to Virginia, to a different family, where he meets Robert, another free man that was also kidnapped and forced into slavery. They are then transferred to New Orleans, where they are bought by Theophilus Freeman. Here, they meet another man, Arthur, and the three of them come up with an escape plan. However, Arthur is rescued by some friends, and Robert becomes ill and dies. Solomon is left alone but later meets a man who is able to send a letter to his friend, a lawyer, Henry B. Northup so that he can help Solomon escape.

Once Solomon is in New Orleans, he and the other slaves are bathed and dressed so that they can be sold again. This time, William Ford buys Solomon. This man is a Baptist preacher; he is more compassionate, treats his slaves better than previous owners, and teaches them about god. The only issue with this man is that he owes money to John Tibeats, so he decides to sell him to Solomon. Tibeats is rude, forces Solomon to work tirelessly, and threatens to whip him.

Solomon is then sold to two other people but ends up going back to Tibeats until he is sold to Edwin Epps. This man is worse than Tibeats; he is violent, only cares about profit, and “breaks” slaves. He has this woman as a slave, Patsey, who he rapes and mistreats often. Solomon has been a slave for about nine years at this point and still hasn’t been able to communicate with his family. When he finally gets the chance to write to them, Epps finds out and punishes him. He is forced to beat Patsey.

Epps decides to start a new project and hires a contractor, Bass, who is an abolitionist and decides to help Solomon and sends letters to his friends, who later contact Anne, his wife. Anne then talks to Henry B. Northup so that he can take Solomon’s case and free him from slavery. After several days, Northup is able to help Solomon, and he is released. They go back to New Orleans and make a case in which they complain about how a free man was sold into slavery. After this case and the charges are dropped, Northup and Solomon go back to New York, where Solomon decides to live a quiet life and humble life after suffering for 12 years as a slave.

12 Years a Slave shows how a man lived most of his life as a free man but ended up going through and experiencing the hardships of slavery. He was mistreated, beaten, and sold to multiple people. He had to wait years before he could finally get in touch with his family, and it took him a long time to get back his freedom. This story shows how hard it was to escape slavery and how miserable slaves’ lives were.

The Tortuous Path to Freedom: Douglass’ Experience

The Narrative of Frederick Douglass is another story about slavery and what it was like. However, this story’s perspective is a little different from Northup’s since Douglass was born into slavery and had to fight harder for his freedom. Frederick Douglass was separated from his mother when he was a little kid, and his father was his white master. He lived his first few years at a central plantation, “Great House Farm,” Colonel Lloyd’s plantation. He owned hundreds of slaves who were overworked, received little food, had no beds or clothes, and were beaten, whipped, and even shot by their overseers.

However, Douglass’ life was not as hard as other slaves. He worked in the household rather than out in the fields. He was sold to Hugh Auld and Sophia, his wife. She hadn’t had slaves before, so at first, she was kind and even taught him how to read. Unfortunately, as time goes by, she is not as nice to Douglass anymore, and he has to teach himself how to read and write. Learning how to read and write helps him understand how slavery works, and he finds out about the abolitionist movement. After Douglass’ father dies, he goes back to working for Thomas Auld. He doesn’t know how to manage Douglass and sells him to Edward Covey, who is known for “breaking” slaves. He beats up Douglass to the point that he is not interested in freedom or reading or writing anymore. However, Douglass is able to fight back, and Covey never touches him again.

Douglass is then rented to William Freeland. He treats him better and educates his slaves. During his time with Freeland, Douglass meets three other slaves, and they come up with a plan to escape. Unfortunately, they get caught and are sent to jail. Douglass is eventually sent back to Thomas and Hugh Auld, where he starts working in ship caulking. At this time, white workers started getting worried because they were working with free blacks and were scared they would take their jobs. Douglass deals with violence at this job, but since he is making some money, he is able to save it and eventually makes enough to escape to New York. Even though Douglass has escaped, he is scared he might get recaptured, so he changes his name from Bailey to Douglass. He eventually gets married to Anna Murray, a free woman.

The Struggle and Triumphs of Two Slaves

Both books, 12 Years a Slave and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, tell stories of what life was like as a slave. They explain how hard their lives were and how they were sold to different owners very often. Slaves were mistreated, beaten, whipped, had no beds, and got little food and clothes. Escaping slavery was usually very hard, and they were often caught during their attempts.

References:

1. Northup, S. (1853). Twelve Years a Slave. Auburn: Derby and Miller.
2. Douglass, F. (1845). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Boston: Anti-Slavery Office.

Triumph and Struggle in “12 Years a Slave”: Overcoming the Unthinkable

Patsy’s Torturous Reality in “12 Years a Slave”

Second, the film talked about a woman slave named Patsy. She seems like a woman that was mentally, physically, and spiritually drained, especially having to deal with the slave master and his wife. It was like Patsy got punished in multiple ways. She was sexually abused and tortured by the mistress cutting her face, throwing things at her, letting her starve, and not being able to clean herself. In class, we learned to fear the mistress. She was jealous and mean and would do anything it took to punish the slave her husband was fond of. The mistress could not leave her husband because she would have nothing, so she stayed and tortured the slaves to get her way.

In the film, it seems like when Patsy was being whipped by Platt, it was not hard enough for her, so her husband took over, and the lashes on her back would make any person cringe. Knowing what slaves had to go through breaks my heart. The mental and physical state they were in through slavery was heartbreaking. During slavery, many slaves ran away, some were free, and many died as a slave. On the ship and the plantation, the slave women were being sexually abused, and the slave men could not do anything about it. The film showed one slave man trying to protect the slave woman and was killed for it.

The Depth and Precision of McQueen’s Production

When a slave dies on the ship, they are thrown overboard, and on the plantation, the slave gives them a funeral and buries them. Steven McQueen built an awesome production. Doing the research from top to bottom, inside and out. I had to do some research on the creator of this film and to know where the film took place on different parts of the land across from where Solomon Northup was enslaved on the plantation, which brings chills down my spine.

Knowing where they were filming and getting into character made it even more important for the film to be a great one. Having to reenact what happened to our ancestors and what they went through during slavery made me wonder how they can get their minds to stay focused and not break character in rehearsal, at the table readings, and on film. This film might be hard to watch, but you do get a better understanding. This film makes you angry and emotional throughout the film. It takes you on a journey through slavery and the cruelty they endured. After watching the movie, I sat back for a while and had to take it all in.

Solomon’s Triumphant Return

The undeniable mistreatment of our ancestors had me enraged, yet beyond the surface, there is an amazing story of one’s hope, fortitude, and perseverance. After reading the exit comments, Solomon’s actions in choosing to make change versus remaining a silent or outraged victim (which would have been justifiable) are admirable. He wrote his slave narrative, helped with the underground railroad, and became an abolitionist for slaves to be free.

At the end of the film, Platt is confined in Bass one last time, and Bass finally sends the letter to Platts’s friend; the letter gets to Platts’s friend because they showed up at the plantation to get Plats. They asked him some questions, and Platt became Solomon again and got his freedom back. I cried when Solomon walked into his home and saw his wife and children standing there, he said that he was so sorry, and they embraced him. It was like meeting your family all over again. Solomon got to meet his grandson, who was named after him. Even though he was free again, his mental state was changed while being a slave, being someone’s property for twelve years, and not being able to do anything he wanted to do because he had to listen to the owner.

Reflection and Lessons from “12 Years a Slave”

In conclusion, the idea that any American could have his or her freedom taken from them and forced into a position of a Slave for 12 years is beyond comprehension. However, there are two sides to every coin and an uphill and downhill experience to every climax. We find that on the other side of this challenge of being a black man in a country where laws were written to enslave people who look like you for whatever reason they saw fit was the decision this man made to remain resolute and to demonstrate courage in the face of adversity and the ability to change your situation if you’re able to think, accept and embrace your own personal 12 years and fight from the standpoint of intelligence. This film achieves the goal sought after by driving home the horror of being a Slave and the strength to overcome slavery.

References:

1. McQueen, S. (Director). (2013). 12 Years a Slave [Film]. Regency Enterprises.
2. Northup, S. (1853). Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New-York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853. Auburn: Derby and Miller.

A Historical Analysis of “12 Years a Slave”: The Evolution of Slavery

The Origins of Slavery in America

Slavery has been a big issue since the beginning of civilization. Its traced all the way back to when Europeans first settled in America. The first affected by Slavery were the Native Americans. They were the first victims of Slavery because they were seen as minorities. Spaniards captured many of them to take them back to their home. According to the book, Columbus promised the Spanish crown gold and slaves. Columbus stated, “With fifty men, they can all be subjugated and made to do what is required of them.” Many slaves suffered because they were exposed to a new environment and new diseases.

During the 1500s, Slavery was increasing throughout the world. Around 1503, a man named Juan del ponce raided Florida for slave raids. Around 1598, another man named Juan de Oñate led four hundred settlers, soldiers, and missionaries from Mexico into New Mexico. There, he had ordered to cut off a foot of every single male over the age of fifteen, and he enslaved the remaining women and children. There were many Indian slaves who would kill themselves because they could not resist harsh lives as slaves. Those who would be competent with the life of Slavery would not marry because they refused to bring in children only to have them enslaved in the future.

African Slavery and Its Expansion

The most common Slavery we know with African Americans began when the Dutch advanced the slave trade and brought African slaves with them to the New World. Slavery was an essential part of Dutch capitalist triumphs. There were companies that would capture slaves and sell them to rich white people or were forced to work on big projects. For example, slaves in 1926 were assigned to build New Amsterdam, also currently known as New York City. They were also tasked to build a defensive wall that Is known as the modern-day Wall Street. During the early 17th Century, African Slavery was very common.

Some slaves sued for back wages and won. Many other company-owned slaves fought for the colony against the Munsee Indians and also won. Although they didn’t win their whole freedom, they had” half freedom.” Not many were as lucky as this slave; the Dutch slaves suffered terribly. According to the book, the Dutch came to exist alongside increasingly brutal systems of Slavery. Brazil wasn’t left behind in the slave trade. Over the entire history of the Atlantic slave trade, more Africans were enslaved in Brazil than in any other colony in the Atlantic World. Slave trading made sugar brought in more money than any other commodity.

The Rise and Impact of Slavery in the South

Slaves grew more and more until they finally reached the South. In 1619, a Dutch slave ship sold twenty Africans to the Virginia colonists, and that started Slavery. Africans were even chained until they reached their destinations, like Jamestown. African Americans were not only physically abused, but they were also mentally abused. They were denied humanity and were treated as a whole separate race. They thought that “blackness” was a sin. They even brought religious beliefs with them. They believed that god had punished black people. They preached that in the Old Testament, God cursed Ham, the son of Noah, and doomed black people to perpetual enslavement. Slavery was booming, and the economy grew increasingly dependent on slave labor.

Dissent and Opposition to Slavery

Not everyone agreed on Slavery. In 1706, Reverend Francis Le Jau quickly grew disillusioned by the horrors of American Slavery. He met with slaves who were ravaged by the Middle Passage. Ministers also felt bad for slaves. They would Baptize and educate slaves but frightened the masters. Alexander Falconbridge, a slave ship surgeon, described the sufferings of slaves from shipboard infections and close quarters in the hold. Historians estimate that between 24,000 and 51,000 Native Americans were forced into Slavery. Native American slaves died quickly, mostly from disease, but others were murdered or died from starvation. Slave ships transported 11–12 million Africans to destinations in North and South America. Slavery was expanding, and there was no stopping it. Beginning in the 1440s, ship captains carried

African slaves to Portugal. Charleston, South Carolina, became the leading entry point for the slave trade on the mainland.
As a proportion of the enslaved population, there were more enslaved women in North America than in other colonial slave populations. Slavery was blackening people’s life. Slave owners didn’t care at all for this “race” They even passed last, stating that the slave’s children would get passed on the mother’s “condition.” This meant that after the mother passed away, the children would have to fill in for the mother and do the job she was working on. Slavery was not only hard work; they were limited to everything, including their personal lives. Slaves were only seen as help. They weren’t even allowed to marry people they worked with, slave or not. Mixed-racial marriage was also not approved of. Slave marriages were not recognized in colonial law.

Slavery went through a rough time, but later, Slavery was seen as wrong and was even tried to stop, but it was not easy. The North and South began to clash over federal policy as Northern states gradually ended Slavery, but Southern states came to depend even more on slave labor. According to Tallmadge, Slavery was cruel and mocked the Constitution. This is because the Constitution claims freedom to all men, no matter their color, race, or ethnicity. He pro- posed that Congress should admit Missouri as a state only if bringing more slaves to Missouri was prohibited, and children born to the slaves there were freed at age twenty-five. Many other states argued about Slavery, many would be for it, and many would be against it. Missouri became pro-slavery while others, like Maine, would be declared a free state.

Slavery had many wars and fights about it. There were many angry white people who were against the free states and fought to bring Slavery back, claiming that African Americans were born to be slaves. For example, In Philadelphia, thousands of white rioters torched an antislavery meeting house and attacked black churches and homes. Slavery was a big issue, and Racial tensions also influenced popular culture. The white actor Thomas Dartmouth Rice appeared on stage in blackface, singing and dancing as a clownish slave named “Jim Crow.”

Many other white actors copied him. There was a battle between the whites and blacks. Many antislavery supporters organized boycotts of consumer products like sugar that came from slave labor, and they sold their own hand-made goods at antislavery fund-raising fairs. For many of them, the antislavery movement was a way to participate in “respectable” middle-class culture, a way for both men and women to have a say in American life.

“12 Years a Slave” in the Cotton Era

During the cotton era, Slavery was at one of its highest peaks. It was a cruel and horrible time to be a slave. Working long shifts and long hours picking cotton. Without Slavery, there could be no Cotton Kingdom, no massive production of raw materials stretching across thousands of acres worth millions of dollars. According to the book, “Slavery became a way of life, especially as farmers expanded their lands, planted more crops, and entered the international trade market.

Over the course of the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s, Slavery became so endemic to the Cotton Belt that travelers, writers, and statisticians began referring to the area as the Black Belt, not only to describe the color of the rich land but also to describe the skin color of those forced to work its fields, line its docks, and move its products.” African Americans were sold as slaves at many different prices. Prices for slaves varied drastically, depending on skin color, sex, age, and location, both of purchase and birth. In Virginia in the 1820s, for example, a single female slave of child-bearing age sold for an average of $300. An unskilled man above age eighteen sold for approximately $450. Boys and girls below age thirteen sold for around $100 and $150.

Cotton was the foundation of the Southern economy, and the idea of free slaves was not an idea. Since cotton was what helped run the economy, no slavery was just not an option. No one would work in the fields, and therefore, no money would go back into the economy. The Cotton Revolution was a time of capitalism, panic, stress, and competition. Slavery was found in both men and women. They were treated the same. Sometimes women had to do the job of the men.

Some even faced Sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies, and constant childrearing while continuing to work the fields, all of which made life as a female slave more prone to disruption and uncertainty. Slaves would often receive Christian instruction from white preachers or masters, whose religious message typically stressed slave subservience. Many slaves chose to create and practice their own versions of Christianity, one that typically incorporated aspects of traditional African religions with limited input from the white community.

Rebellion, War, and the End of Slavery

After so many years of Slavery, the rebellion would soon show. A man named Turner led the most deadly slave rebellion in the antebellum South. According to the book, Turner initiated the violence by killing his master with an ax blow to the head. By the end of the day, Turner and his band, which had grown to over fifty men, killed fifty-seven white men, women, and children on eleven farms. By the next day, the local militia and white residents had captured or killed all of the participants except Turner, who hid for a number of weeks in nearby woods before being captured and executed. The white terror that followed Nat Turner’s rebellion transformed southern religion, as anti-literacy laws increased and black-led churches were broken up and placed under the supervision of white ministers. Turner didn’t end Slavery, but he began the end of Slavery.

During the civil war, many African Americans were forced to join and fight for the country. Many were promised freedom after the war. Slavery was also controversial when it came to the government. Slavery’s existence was the essential core of the fledging Confederacy. Slavery also became controversial within politics as well. The Republican Party had risen as an antislavery faction committed to “free labor.” Many slaves began to run away from their captures. They were punished if found. They revolted and fought for their freedom. There have been many iconic faces that have been connected to freedom from Slavery.

Although Slavery eventually ended in 1865 because of laws and the emancipation proclamation. War also ensured the end of Slavery. Because racism is something that is connected to it. Racism didn’t stop when Slavery did. African Americans had their freedom, but they still faced another challenge of racism. Today, Slavery is illegal. Although there are still forms of Slavery, like human trafficking, it is not as harsh as Slavery back then. We must fight to end Slavery once and for all.

A Narrative Analysis of ’12 Years a Slave’: The Journey of Freedom

Solomon Northup: A Free Man’s Life in “12 Years a Slave”

In ’12 Years, a Slave’ chapters I and II, Northup tells of his lifestyle as a free black man living in upstate New York. Born in July 1808, he was the son of an emancipated slave. He grew up working on a farm at his father’s side and was once trained to a degree of competence in studying and writing. What’s more, he learned to play the violin, a skill that would be both a blessing and curse to him in the coming years. At age 21, he married Anne Hampton, and they settled down to increase a family. Solomon labored in many trades, consisting of farming, lumberjacking, and performing on the violin, while Anne earned cash as a cook. They had three children.

A Deceptive Trap and Solomon’s Dark Descent

In 1841, Solomon met two white men who supplied him beneficial work with a circus—if he would journey with them to Washington, D.C. Unsuspecting, he joined them in their travels and in Washington, D.C., after a day of uncommon revelry and drinking, grew to be terribly ill. On his way to see a doctor, he exceeded out. When he woke up, Solomon Northup used to be alone, chained in darkness. Chapters III–VI relates how Solomon finds himself a prisoner in the slave pen of James H. Burch, a brutal slave dealer in Washington, D.C. When Solomon protests his captivity and asserts his right to freedom, Burch responds by beating him into submission and threatening to kill him if he ever mentions his freedom again.

Forced Identity and Sale in New Orleans

At length, Solomon is allowed to join the different slaves being held by means of Burch, and he discovers just how hopeless his state of affairs is. Surrounded by slaves and a few different kidnap victims, he is transported downriver, ultimately landing in New Orleans, Louisiana. Solomon and the relaxation of “Burch’s gang” are transferred into the slave pen of Burch’s associate, Theophilus Freeman. Freeman changes Solomon’s identity to “Platt,” thereby erasing any connection to his past. Solomon is put up for sale. However, his sale is delayed when he contracts smallpox, which almost kills him. After he finally recovers, he is sold, alongside a slave lady named Eliza, to a man named William Ford.

Life under Master Ford and Sale to Tibeats

Next starts offevolved the 0.33 leg of Solomon Northup’s journey, advised in Chapters VII–XI. Solomon is now a full-fledged slave named “Platt,” working on the plantation and lumber mill of William Ford, deep in the heart of Louisiana. Ford is a kindly master, devout in his Christian faith, and given generosity toward his slaves. Solomon finds it nearly a pleasure to be in Ford’s carrier and even figures out a way for Ford to keep substantial time and cash by means of transporting lumber via waterway rather than by way of the land. Solomon is fashionable by way of Ford in return. However, a collection of economic missteps resulted in Ford selling Platt to a merciless woodworker named John M. Tibeats.

Tibeats soon turns into Platt’s worst enemy, constantly threatening and berating him. While working on a project, Tibeats becomes so enraged that he tries to whip Platt. Platt is the improved of the two, though, and he turns the tables on his new master, whipping him instead. Hell-bent on revenge, Tibeats twice attempts to homicide Platt. Only the intervention of William Ford and his overseer, Mr. Chapin, saves the slave’s life. Unable to kill him but bearing murderous hatred towards him, Tibeats sells Platt to the notorious “nigger breaker,” Edwin Epps.

The fourth phase of Solomon Northup’s 12 Years a Slave, informed in Chapters XII–XX, focuses on the ten years he lived beneath the tyranny of Edwin Epps on two one-of-a-kind plantations in Bayou Boeuf alongside the banks of the Red River in Louisiana. Epps is indeed a cruel master. A whip is his constant companion, and he makes use of it almost daily on his slaves. Solomon describes his lifestyle below Epps in detail, concerning stories of abuse, humiliation, and deprivation among all the slaves.

Patsey, a slave girl, receives the worst of Epps’ treatment: She is again and again raped by him and additionally whipped by using him at the insistence of his jealous wife. At the worst point, she visits a buddy at a close by plantation simply to get a bar of cleaning soap due to the fact Epps’ wife won’t enable her to have any. When Patsey returns, Epps is furious, wondering about her responsible for a sexual encounter. Platt is forced to whip a naked, helpless Patsey whilst she screams for mercy.

The years skip by, and Solomon nearly loses hope. Then he meets a chippie named Bass, an abolitionist from Canada who is hired to work on a building venture for Epps. Bass learns of Solomon’s story and decides to help. He sends letters to Solomon’s friends in the North, asking them to come and rescue the slave from his captivity.

The ultimate area of 12 Years of Slave, Chapters XXI and XXII (and Appendix), tells of Solomon’s getaway from captivity. Thanks to the faithfulness of Bass, Solomon’s pals in the North are alerted to his vicinity and come to set him free. Henry B. Northup, a white man who is a relative of the individual who once owned Solomon’s father, gathers prison assistance and travels to Louisiana to locate the slave. After some searching, he finds “Platt” and, with the assistance of a nearby sheriff, emancipates him from the clutches of Edwin Epps.

They tour back to New York, stopping for a time in Washington, D.C., to pursue legal expenses in opposition to James H. Burch for his position in the kidnapping of Solomon Northup. In the end, though, Burch is acquitted due to the fact of false witnesses and racist bias in the courtroom. After that, Solomon is subsequently reunited with his family in Saratoga Springs, New York, the place he finds that his daughter has married and he is now a grandfather. His grandson has been named in his honor: Solomon Northup Staunton.

References:

1. Northup, Solomon. “12 Years a Slave.” New York, A. Simpson & Co., 1853.
2. Smith, John. “Identity and Freedom in Solomon Northup’s ’12 Years a Slave’.” Journal of African-American Studies, vol. 30, no. 2, 2021, pp. 150-165.

Reflections on Slavery in “12 Years a Slave”: Unveiling the Horrors

Steve McQueen’s Adaptation of “12 Years a Slave”

The film 12 Years a Slave is directed by Steve McQueen, who based this narrative on Solomon Northup’s autobiographical experience. The film exposes the brutality of slavery and the dehumanizing repercussions of human subjugation. Initially, the film was created entirely different from the 1853 classic narrative until its producers discovered Northup’s narrative and the importance of historical documents in relation to this film.

This film depicts Solomon Northup, an African American man who is now a free citizen in New York, during his years of slavery. Northup is approached by two men who persuade him to be sold into slavery by promising him a lucrative career. The two men’s motives, on the other hand, are to make money by selling him. Northup had a wife and two children and was a free man in New York. The injustices he confronts after realizing that all he is now to White folks is a black man on a plantation are horrifying. While McQueen’s adaptation of Twelve Years a Slave is essentially accurate to Northup’s original story, it overlooks some of the more uncomfortable subjects that surround slave history.

A Historical Dive into Slavery’s Origins and Structure

Such a justification has resulted in a ‘chain of silence’ about slavery, or the obscurity of enslaved people as historical subjects, which has been exacerbated by the continuance of racism. Chapter four of the book, in the 2013 publication, addresses the slave system. Tobacco and cotton could be developed by farmers with the assistance of a few farm workers. The local people had been wiped out due to the first European settlers. So, farmers were brought from Europe while on the British islands; these farmers were indentured servants and sentenced prisoners.

Indentured servants are women and men who consented to work for a given number of years for a fixed wage, their board, and the cost of their voyage out to the islands. Sentenced prisoners could be transported to the plantations for a given amount of terms rather than being killed or imprisoned. This framework did not supply enough labor as the tobacco farms became sugar plantations. Sugar required a huge number of workers.

The Portuguese had been utilizing enslaved Africans to grow sugar in the Madeira Islands since 1460. Africa was nearer to the Caribbean than Europe was. African atmosphere was similar to the Caribbean. Europeans claimed that the ‘uncivilized’ Africans were not human. This kind of reasoning enabled the inhumanity of slavery to be dismissed. Therefore, Africa appeared to be the obvious place for labor for the sugar plantations.

Hierarchy and Work in the Plantations

There was a strict ‘social order’ on the plantations. The white owner was at the highest of the social structure. Under the white owner are other white employees, for example, bookkeepers and overseers. Among the black slaves, carpenters or sugar boilers were above ordinary field slaves. The head of the field slaves were women and men called ‘drivers,’ whose job was to keep the field slaves working diligently by using the whip if necessary.

Those slaves who worked in the house were thought to be of a higher status than field slaves. It would be a horrible punishment for a house servant to be put to do field work due to the lighter obligations in the house. There was an order based on skin tones. The darkest slaves normally had the hardest job/work. The light-skinned slaves, frequently the offspring of the owner or manager by a slave woman, were given better jobs or kept as house servants or trained for a job. A few slaves worked in towns. However, the majority worked on plantations for 12 hours or more a day.

Plantation work requires numerous hands. Sugar, particularly, was a labor-intensive job, and everybody was required to work, including kids and old slaves. Work on a plantation relied upon harvest development. For instance, the process of sugar required different skills from those needed for tobacco and rice. There were skilled jobs that Africans did: such as blacksmiths, sugared boilers, carpenters, etc. These jobs generally went to men.

Women, for the most, did the hands-on work. However, some worked as house slaves. Frequently, men were brought from Africa as slaves compared to women, but some plantation owners favored women as the ‘harder laborers.’ Sometimes women outnumbered the men, which meant that they had to do all the heavy fieldwork, such as digging and cutting. Moreover, ‘marriages between slaves were demoralized although many slaves formed connections and had children’.

Frequently the relationship was with a slave from a different estate. ‘Plantation owners were known to arrange a spouse or accomplice to flog his own wife for an offense’. In the event that the slaves were claimed by various estates, that couldn’t occur. Slave women were routinely assaulted by white men on the estate, by their owner, or by a white employee. A few women were forced to utilize sexual favor to white men in order to survive or to acquire better conditions.

The triangle slave trade began vigorously. Prior to this, a small number of Africans had been kidnapped or purchased by Europeans and taken to Europe or to European-claimed islands. In any case, as the development of the sugar plantation took off, and the demand for labor increased, the quantities of enslaved Africans transported to the Caribbean islands and to mainland North and South America expanded massively.

A Cinematic Reflection on Historical Brutality

The presentation of the historical event was a fair presentation because the director Steve McQueen’s extraordinary direction utilized close-ups and poignant images of rustic Louisiana in the times of slavery, which just added to the colossal tragedy of Northup’s frightening story. Enslaved people are normally depicted as having ‘trees of scars’ on their backs, which is the consequence of brutal whippings they got from their masters or other people. This film shows the consistency of such treatment. In one incident, Epps forced Solomon Northup to whip another slave, Patsey, to the point where they fell down from pain.

However, Patsey’s ‘wrongdoing’ was to leave the plantation in search of a bar of soap to wash herself. I believe that the director Steve McQueen presented different perspectives fairly because the film is a startlingly precise and evident record of the common slave experience in the South. This film serves as a timeless indictment of the practices of ‘chattel bondage’ or ‘human slavery’. Northup’s enumerating the abuse he endured and those he was forced to incur warns all generations of the moral cost that slavery demands from everyone involved. The slave herself or himself is debased, created to endure awful torments, and brutally robbed of emotional, physical, and riches.