Twelve Years a Slave

Introduction-Chapter 5

Reading Check

1. He was emancipated when his enslaver died. (Chapter 1)

2. She was a cook. (Chapter 1)

3. So that Anne can work at her annual short-term position at Sherrill’s Coffee House (Chapter 2)

4. Richmond, Virginia (Chapter 4)

5. 40 captives (Chapter 4)

6. Arthur (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. Twelve Years a Slave is unique in its precise descriptions of enslaved life. By including such precise details, Northup was able to rebuff prevalent arguments by Southern apologists claiming that freedom for Black people in the North was no better than enslaved life. What’s more, the book featured critiques of slavery as a capitalist, economic institution. (Introduction)

2. David Wilson is a lawyer, writer, and editor who collaborated with Northup to write the book. In his preface, Wilson asserts that every detail in the book is truthful and unbiased. It is another way that the book asserts itself as conveying the slave experience with accuracy and honesty. (Preface)

3. Northup reflects on the irony that, within the Capitol building, voices of “patriotic representatives” boast of freedom and equality, two core American ideals.