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. Meanwhile, just outside there is “the rattling of poor slave’s chains.” (Chapter 3)

4. Eliza explains to Northup that she was the mistress of her previous enslaver. She was impregnated by him and gave birth to a daughter, Emily. Eliza’s enslaver promised that Eliza and her children would be set free when he died, but instead, the enslaver’s daughter and son-in-law sold them into slavery upon his death.

Chapters 6-12

Reading Check

1. They’re forced to walk back and forth in front of prospective buyers; they’re forced to show their teeth; several men and women are stripped naked and inspected. (Chapter 6)

2. The Red River (Chapter 7)

3. The Bible (Chapter 7)

4. Because Northup is extremely intelligent (Chapter 7)

5. To his brother-in-law, Peter Tanner (Chapter 9)

6. The Pacoudrie Swamp (Chapter 10)

7. For being the most accomplished picker on the plantation, bringing in far more cotton than any of the men (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. Because scars upon a slave’s back were taken to be a sign that that enslaved person had a rebellious nature. They would, therefore, be more difficult to control. These were seen as undesirable traits by prospective buyers. (Chapter 6)

2. With the help of two other men, Tibeats attempts to hang Northup from a tree. However, Ford’s overseer, Mr. Chapin, intervenes, saving Northup. Mr. Chapin reminds Tibeats that Ford holds a mortgage over Northup, and until that debt is canceled, Tibeats has no right to take his life (Chapter 8)

3. After several weeks of clearing trees for Mr. Eldret, Northup learns from Tibeats that he’s been sold once again. This time, Tibeats has sold Northup to Edwin Epps, an enslaver who is notorious for his cruelty. (Chapter 11)

Chapters 13-18

Reading Check

1. Because he is recovering from a nearly fatal illness (Chapter 13)

2. Sugar (Chapter 14)

3. Christmas (Chapter 15)

4. Phebe (Chapter 18)

5. A whip (Chapter 18)

Short Answer

1. Epps’s wife is jealous of Patsey because Epps is sexually preoccupied with her. Epps frequently rapes Patsey and then “punishes” her to satisfy the wrath of his jealous wife. (Chapter 13)

2. He becomes the target of Epps’s drunken rages. On one occasion, Epps resorts to chasing him with a knife. Northup is saved just in time by Epps’s wife, who defends him against her husband. (Chapter 16)

3. Without permission from Epps, Wiley tries to pay a visit to his friend at another plantation in the middle of the night. On his way back, patrollers catch him and beat him. They return him to Epps, who gives him an even more vicious beating. In response, Wiley runs away from Epps. When he tries again to escape Epps, he gives Wiley one of the cruelest, most brutal floggings that Northup has ever seen. Northup tells this story as a cautionary tale of the dangers of running away. (Chapter 17)

Chapters 19-22

Reading Check

1. He is building a house. (Chapter 19)

2. A brutal whipping (Chapter 20)

3. The sight of two strange men crossing toward him in the field (Chapter 20)

4. They were forwarded to Northup’s wife, who shared them with a lawyer, Henry B. Northup. (Chapter 21)

5. A legal certificate that states he’s a free man (Chapter 22)

Short Answer

1. Burch’s trial shows the judicial system’s racist bias. Burch can testify on his own behalf because he’s white, but Northup can’t because he is Black. In his testimony, Burch makes the ridiculous assertion that Northup volunteered to go into slavery, which Northup cannot rebut, so Burch goes free. (Chapter 22)

2. When Northup returns home, he’s greeted warmly by his family—family that has expanded in his absence, because his daughter had a baby boy, whom she names in honor of Northup. The book ends on a happy, hopeful note—one in which Northup is restored to peace and new life is being brought into the world. (Chapter 22)