12 Years A Slave, which took home Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars last night, took over a hundred years to bring the story to the big screen.
Solomon Northup wrote his memoir in 1853, but his story would take years before it would be showcased to the world. But, in 1853, the New York Times dedicated a full page to Northup and his story. The full article is here, and it is always interesting to see how social norms, language, and attitudes have changed since the article was published. Here is a little snippet of the amazing story:
With his wife and children he resided at Saratoga Springs in the Winter of 1841, and while there was employed by two gentlemen to drive a team South, at the rate of a dollar a day. In fulfilment of his employment he proceeded to New-York, and having taken out free papers, to show that he was a citizen, he went on to Washington City, where he arrived the second day of April, the same year, and put up at Gadsby’s Hotel. Soon after he arrived, he felt unwell and went to bed.
While suffering with severe pain some persons came in, and, seeing the condition he was in, proposed to give him some medicine and did so. That is the last thing of which he had any recollection until he found himself chained to the floor of WILLIAMS’ slave pen in this City, and handcuffed. In the course of a few hours, JAMES H BURCH, a slave dealer, came in, and the colored man asked him to take the irons off from him, and wanted to know why they were put on. BURCH told him it was none of his business. The colored man said he was free and told where he was born. BURCH called in a man by the name of EBENEZER RODBURY, and they two stripped the man and laid him across a bench, RODBURY holding him down by his wrists. BURCH whipped him with a paddle until he broke that, and then with a cat-o’-nine tails, giving him a hundred lashes, and he swore he would kill him if he ever stated to any one that he was a free man.From that time forward the man says he did not communicate the fact from fear, either that he was a free man, or what his name was, until the last summer.
There is a lot more to the story, which is a great read for anyone interested in learning more about history and 12 Years a Slave.
But, one thing I learned from reading this story is the next time you have a headache be careful who you get asprin from. They could be a slave dealer.
