Slavery is the state of one bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder or household. From the early to late 1800's, slavery was a major issue. Some states wanted to keep slavery, but some wanted to rid of it. Solomon Northrup was a victim in this slavery issue in 1841. He was a free man who was kidnapped then sold into slavery. Freedom and easy times were very hard to come by during his twelve-year period of being a slave, as it was for most slaves. Solomon Northrup tells us his life story during the difficult times of slavery.
Solomon Northrup gives detailed descriptions of how hard life while working for Edwin Epps. In his experience, the hands were required to be in the cotton field as soon as they could see in the morning. At noon, they received ten to fifteen minutes to scarf down a couple of slices of cold bacon. After lunch, they would go out and work past dinner time until late, sometimes in the middle of the night. When they were done with the picking in the field, they would carry their baskets to the gin-house, which was where the cotton was weighed. Whether a slave had too much or too little, he knew he would experience the punishment. After one weighed and dropped off his cotton in the cotton house, they did their chores. After all the field jobs were done, the chores done, and everything was in their respective places, Solomon and the others reached their beds upon a late hour. Every week they would receive three and a half pounds of bacon and enough corn to make a small meal. They would wake up an hour before they went out into the fields and cook themselves breakfast.
William Ford was a slave owner as well as an honorable person. Solomon said that he only saw the bright side of slavery while he was working for him. Slave owners, such as Ford, would have help slaves establish their culture. However while working for pale-hearted slave owners, such as John Tibeats, it would have been very difficult to establish their culture.
