Narrative of Solomon Northup: Twelve Years a Slave: An African American Historical Narrative

Solomon Northup, a resident of New York, was kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, sold into slavery, then rescued in 1853 from a cotton plantation near the Red River, in Louisiana. He spent 12 years as a slave, despite being a free man. This classic of American history sheds light on the practice of slavery and the life of slaves in the mid 19th century.