His wife mistreats Patsey, but Epps declares that he'll choose Patsey over his wife. A beautiful and fiery female slave named Patsey picks 500 pounds of cotton each day and is praised and coveted by Epps himself.

He also forces the slaves to pick 200 pounds of cotton every day or be beaten. Northup tries to reason with Ford, trying to explain that he is really a free man, but Ford says otherwise.Įpps believes his right to mistreat the slaves is biblically sanctioned and encourages the slaves to accept their fate. Ford cuts him down and tells him he must be sold to the diabolical Edwin Epps. Northup is aided by Eliza, one of the slaves he has helped. As a result, Tibeats and his thugs attempt to hang him. Racist carpenter John Tebeats despises him and mistreats him, leading Northup and John into terrible conflicts. He helps carry logs downstream and, for being useful, is given a violin as a reward. Northup is viciously beaten, witnesses a slave woman Eliza being separated from her children, and is sold to plantation owner William Ford. Our hero is shipped on a slave ship to a New Orleans plantation where he is re-named 'Platt' as a runaway slave.

Two men offer Solomon a job as a musician for two weeks, but instead, they abduct him and sell him into slavery. He has a wife and is the father of two children. Our story begins in 1841, where Solomon Northup is once a free negro who works as a carpenter and fiddle player.

12 years a slave by solomon northup