Unclaimed
Solomon Northup
History & Commentary
Solomon Northup was an American abolitionist and memoirist whose account of kidnapping and enslavement documented slavery in Louisiana.
Biography
Solomon Northup was born free in New York, the son of a formerly enslaved father and a free woman of color. He worked as a professional violinist and farmer and owned land in Washington County. In 1841, an offer of work as a traveling musician brought him to Washington, D.C., where he was drugged and kidnapped into slavery.
Northup was transported to New Orleans and remained enslaved in Louisiana’s Red River region for nearly twelve years. With help from Samuel Bass, word reached his contacts in New York, who secured assistance for his release. He regained his freedom on January 3, 1853.
That year, Northup published Twelve Years a Slave. He subsequently lectured about his experiences on behalf of the abolitionist movement. He largely disappeared from the historical record after 1857, although a later letter reported him alive in early 1863. The circumstances of his death remain undocumented.
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Books by Solomon Northup
12 Years A Slave
Twelve Years a Slave recounts Northup’s kidnapping, enslavement in Louisiana, and eventual recovery of freedom. First published in 1853, the memoir describes forced labor, violence, daily living conditions, and relationships between enslaved people and enslavers.