12 Years a Slave: Original 1853 Edition

Slavery has existed in one form or another throughout recorded history. And while many races and nationalities have been victims of this abhorrent practice around the world, this “peculiar institution,” as it was called in the United States, is particularly tragic inasmuch as our country was founded on the principle of equality for all. Since the Reconstruction, we’ve struggled with the embarrassing legacy of our forefathers. But as our lands fill with immigrants and generations far separated from the era who bear no responsibility for the crimes of the past century it’s important to face the inhuman slave experience which, because it makes some uncomfortable, has sadly been bowdlerized. Slave narratives were popular in the 19th century precisely to share these deplorable stories and preserve them for all time. There was, for example, Austin Steward’s “22 Years a Slave,” Louis Hughes’ “30 Years a Slave,” H.C. Bruce’s “29 Years a Slave,” and, of course, Solomon Northup’s “12 Years a Slave” in which the author, a free man, recounts his kidnapping, sale, and the subsequent enslavement he endured for twelve years before returning home. Handier than the free PDFs on the web, this you can hold, bookmark, highlight and shelve. An inexpensive imperative for any history buff or advocate of civil rights and social justice.