She is despised by Epps' wife, who orders her husband to beat his mistress frequently. She is young and attractive, which makes her a target of Epps' sexual violence. She is the fastest cotton-picker on the plantation, and as such she has Epps's favor. Solomon says flatly that Epps has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He beats the slaves indiscriminately, gives them the smallest rations possible, and rages when he hears that Solomon no longer (or never really did) belong to him. He frequently rapes a female slave on his plantation, Patsey, which is a point of conflict for him and his wife. He is consistently drunk and disorderly, waking the slaves up in the middle of the night to dance for him. Epps is extremely cruel and inhumane, taking pride in breaking his slaves' spirits. Edwin EppsĮpps is Solomon's second owner. Tibeats eventually sells Solomon to Epps. Tibeats's poor reputation among other white men protects Solomon, for Ford and Chapin step in to prevent Tibeats from going further. He despises Solomon and has two brutal encounters with him: he tries to kill Solomon, but Solomon is able to hold Tibeats off and beat him instead. A man of terrible character, he is coarse, repulsive, uneducated, and prone to blaspemous curses. Tibeats is a carpenter who works at Ford's plantation. Unfortunately, Ford has money troubles and has to sell Solomon. Solomon gains Ford's favor over and over again, and Ford comes to his defense in his troubles with Tibeats. Solomon writes that Ford was kind to his slaves and was a moral Christian minister who could not be blamed for his views on slavery since it was the way he was raised. William Fordįord is Solomon's first owner. Solomon notes that she becomes emaciated and depressed. Eliza's grief at being separated from her children is overwhelming, and Ford, annoyed, sells her to a new owner. Eliza and Solomon are both bought by William Ford. She has children, and she was promised that she and her children could remain together. ElizaĮliza is a slave whom Solomon meets in the Washington DC slave pen. From this experience, Solomon learns that in order to survive, he must agree with what white people tell him. Burch beats Solomon brutally when Solomon insists on his freedom. Burchīurch is a slave trader who takes control of Solomon and sells him down South. Solomon spends much time wondering about their complicity in the whole matter: they were very kind to him, but he ultimately decides that they must have been in on it. One night at dinner, they drug Solomon and give him to the slave dealer James H. They tell him that he will be paid one dollar per day, and three dollars for every performance if he accompanies them to New York City and Washington DC. Merrill Brown and Abram Hamiltonīrown and Hamilton tell Solomon that they are members of a circus and are interested in his violin skills. She and Solomon married on Christmas in 1829, and they have three children. Anne Hampton NorthupĪnne is Solomon's wife. He endeavors to be as true and faithful as possible to his experiences, sparing no one but also acknowledging that some slaveowners were kind. His violin is one of the only ways he keeps hope in his heart, especially as he plans to escape numerous times but cannot carry it out successfully until twelve years have passed. He is a skilled violinist, and this talent makes him favorable for entertainment among slaveowners. He is intelligent, charming, and likeable, which helps him obtain higher positions and survive during his slavery. Solomon is at an advantage during his time as a slave due to the experiences he had and education he received prior to his kidnapping. During his time as a slave, he keeps journals outlining everything he experienced, making the faithfulness to his experiences in his novel, Twelve Years a Slave, possible. After being kidnapped, he is given a slave name: Platt. Born a free man in New York in 1808, he is kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. Solomon Northup is the author of Twelve Years a Slave.
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