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TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE
The Black History Classic
SOLOMON NORTHUP
With an Introduction by
DAVID FISKE
This edition first published 2021
Introduction copyright © David Fiske 2021
The material for this edition is based on the 1853 edition of Twelve Years A Slave, published by Derby and Miller, Auburn, New York, and Sampson Low, Son & Company, London, and in the public domain.
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ISBN 9780857089069 (hardback)
ISBN 9780857089083 (epub)
ISBN 9780857089090 (ePDF)
INTRODUCTION
BY DAVID FISKE
Slavery is among the greatest stains on human history. Appropriating a person's ability and right to pursue a livelihood and life of his or her own choosing – not temporarily, but for the remainder of their life – is a gross violation of natural law.
In the United States, the legacy of slavery – born out of endemic racism – is a cross the nation still bears. We all wish that slavery had been erased from our communities much earlier than it was. Slave narratives like Twelve Years a Slave rend the heart of every reader, and are a portal for deeper understanding of what happened.
This Introduction looks at the contribution of Solomon Northup's book to that understanding. I will try to give an account of the world in which Northup lived, the man himself, the kidnapping phenomenon, and finally how far we have come on slavery since Twelve Years a Slave was written.
***
My