Solomon Northup

1807 – 1863

Solomon Northup was a free Black man from Saratoga Springs, New York, who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery in Louisiana, where he labored for twelve years before being rescued. His memoir, 'Twelve Years a Slave' (1853), co-written with David Wilson, became one of the most important firsthand accounts of American slavery ever published — detailing his detention at Williams' Slave Pen (the Yellow House) in Washington, the journey south, and the brutal realities of plantation life. His account was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 2013 by director Steve McQueen.