City College of San Francisco Twelve Years a Slave Book by Solomon Northup Essay

Approximately 100 slave narratives were
written by enslaved African-Americans before the Civil War (as well as
many that were written after slaves were freed after the war). These
first-hand accounts of life under slavery provide valuable documentation
about the nature of racial slavery in the antebellum south. Over the
next two weeks, you will read excerpts from one such narrative, Twelve Years a Slave,
written by Solomon Northup, a free African-American in New York, and
illegally kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. He was sold to a
series of owners in Louisiana and spent 12 years enslaved on a cotton
plantation. His account provides a vivid and more personal account of
the trends in antebellum slavery discussed in this week’s lesson.

• NOTE: The book
  features very vivid descriptions of physical and emotional abuse of
  enslaved persons, so it may be hard to read at times. I assign this book
  because it represents an important, and often neglected, voice on the
  subject of slavery, and it is important to fully comprehend the reality
  of the institution that shaped so many Americans lives.

In this video, I provide step-by-step instructions on how to complete your paper, so definitely worth a watch before you begin!

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IMPORTANT INFO BELOW

• Read assigned selections from Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave.

• • • You can also use a free online or e-book reader version through Project Gutenberg (Links to an external site.).
    • The book is also available as an audiobook—including a free audiobook version on YouTube.

• • I encourage you to read the whole book, but the minimum requirement is Chapters 3, 6-8, 12-14, and 16-18
  • If you choose not to read the whole book, read this brief introduction
  • Edit
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    before you read the assigned chapters to give you the necessary background on the events of the beginning of the book.

• One of the main themes of Northup’s book is the way in which slavery was institutionalized throughout the entire southern society. Write a 3-4 page (double spaced) essay addressing this theme by analyzing 1-2 of the following prompt topics:
  1. One of Northup’s main goals in writing
     this book is to encourage northerners to join the abolitionist movement
     to abolish slavery in the U.S. Toward this goal, he carefully detailed
     the effect racial slavery had on enslaved people’s bodies, emotions,
     perspective, and lives, to present a vivid and accurate portrayal of the
     horrors of slavery for white Americans who may not have witnessed
     slavery first-hand. How does Northup describe racial slavery’s effect on
     black bodies, minds, goals, and dreams? (Note: Be specific! You must
     provide specific examples, quotes, and details from the book). On the
     other hand, how does Northup argue that slavery did NOT change enslaved
     people’s minds, goals, and dreams? What did you think would have been
     the most compelling aspect(s) of Northup’s account, for northern white
     readers? (Be sure to address ALL 3 questions if you chose this prompt)
  2. What laws, organizations, and social
     customs does Northup mention helped maintain racial slavery in
     Louisiana? Discuss several specific examples, and analyze what those
     examples tell us about antebellum slavery.
  3. It wasn’t only slave-owners who fueled
     racialized slavery. Non-slaveholders and poor whites also had a vested
     interest in continuing slavery, even when it did not directly benefit
     them through free labor. In what ways were all white members of
     Southern society complicit in the system of slavery, whether they owned
     slaves or not? What evidence from the assigned chapters can you cite to
     support your conclusions?
  4. In several places in his book, Northup
     calls attention to the intersection of race, gender, and violence by
     highlighting the exploitation of enslaved women. What can we learn about
     this intersection from the stories of Eliza and Patsey? How did the
     institution of racial slavery effect various women in Northup’s book?
  5. At the end of chapter 14, Northup
     argues: “It is not the fault of the slaveholder that he is cruel, so
     much as it is the fault of the system under which he lives.” What
     argument is Northup making? Really think critically about this quote—he
     is NOT excusing slaveowners’ behavior. What is the context in which he
     makes this statement, and what is he really saying? Note:
     This is the most challenging prompt question, requiring deep analysis
     and understanding this quote in context of all the assigned reading
     selections, not just the couple pages surrounding it. There is a lot to
     explore in this topic, but it is the most challenging to do well, so if
     you’re looking for an easier/quicker paper to write, I suggest picking a
     different prompt.

• Upload your paper by hitting the red “Submit Assignment” button at the top of this page and following the instructions.

• • You can compose your essay in whatever
    word processing program you choose: Word, Pages, Google docs, text, etc.
    However, only Word Document and PDF files can be uploaded, so if you
    use a program besides Word, please save your document as a PDF before
    uploading it.
  • Reminder: Compose your assignment offline and save a copy for the semester.

Paper Requirements

• Essays must be a minimum of 3 full pages, double spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman font.
  Papers shorter than the minimum page requirement will not receive full
  credit. There is no penalty for papers longer than the page requirement
  (write as much as you need to in order to make your argument well!)
• Essays should include an introduction
  and conclusion, contain a clear organizational structure, and provide
  evidence from the reading to back up your argument.
• Your essay MUST include specific examples from
  the assigned chapters to support the claims or arguments you make. You
  should also incorporate relevant information from the weekly lesson
  and/or textbook to support your argument, and to draw connections
  between the personal experiences Northup recounts and the broader trends
  in antebellum slavery discussed in this class.
• You may not use any sources in writing your paper outside of the assigned readings, course textbook, and class lesson material. DO
  NOT use the internet as a source for your paper. Your papers will be
  checked with anti-plagarism software when you submit it. Any copying of
  ideas or information from an internet source will be considered copy writing and will result in an F on the paper.
• You MUST provide citations for all direct quotes you use from the readings. At the end of the quote, use the following citation style:
  • If you read the physical book, cite the page number: (Northup, page #)
  • If you listened to the audiobook, you
    can cite either the time of the quote you use, or simply cite the
    chapter the quote is from: (Northup, 1:39:05) OR (Northup, Chapter 7).
  • If you read the ebook, cite the chapter: (Northup, Chapter 7)
  • Papers not citing sources will docked points.
  • You do not need to provide a Works Cited page.