Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (1808 - c. 1864)

Solomon Northup describes the construction of a house for Master Epps and introduces Bass, a carpenter who becomes his deliverer.

The appendix of Twelve Years a Slave prints the 1840 New York act that let the governor recover free citizens kidnapped into slavery and pay agents to do it.

Chapter XII of Twelve Years a Slave centers on Edwin Epps, a large planter on Bayou Huff-Power near Holmesville, Marksville, and Cheneyville.

Chapter XXI of Twelve Years a Slave follows Henry B.

["A hatchet threat at the cotton press pushes Solomon Northup into a fight for his life in Chapter X of Twelve Years a Slave.", "Chapin's warning leaves Northup watching every move until Tibbets's shifting complaints over a sweep turn the workbench into a life-or-death confrontation.", "Northup disarms him, runs past the cotton field, and survives a chase through the Pecudry Swamp, where dogs, moccasin snakes, and alligators crowd the water.", "By morning he reaches William Ford's house, where Mistress Ford and John give him rice, milk, and food after a night without rest."]

This episode recounts the story of Wiley, a slave who is caught by patrollers after visiting a neighboring cabin without a pass, illustrating the harsh realities of slavery.

Solomon Northup urged enslaved people to watch their opportunity and "strike for freedom."