The horrors ‘12 Years a Slave’ couldn’t tell

What a Civil War soldier’€™s diary tells us about Solomon Northup’s ordeal

An illustration of Solomon Northup from his memoir, “Twelve Years a Slave,” published in 1855.

by Adam Rothman-January 18, 2014

Solomon Northup’s story, which has been studied by historians for decades, now has a second life in American popular culture, thanks to director Steve McQueen’s extraordinary movie “12 Years a Slave.” The film — nominatedfor nine Oscars, including best picture and best director — brings Northup’s remarkable 1853 memoir to life with searing portrayals of torture and survival. It has revived curiosity about Northup’s life and renewed debate over how to depict the pain of the past and the present. Does McQueen’s movie go too far with violence?

The largest slave revolt in U.S. history occurred this day 203 years ago. It started in LaPlace.

RUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Members of the public check out the exhibit at the 

opening of the 1811 Slave Revolt Exhibit at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan on Saturday, January 8, 2011.

By Littice Bacon-Blood, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 

The largest slave revolt in United States history occurred on this date 203 years ago. The uprising started in what is now LaPlace in St. John the Baptist Parish in 1811 and rolled eastward, with a goal of reaching New Orleans and possibly banding with other rebels to take the city.

Art by renowned River Parishes artist Lorraine Gendron depicts the largest slave revolt in United States history. It started in LaPlace and rolled east toward New Orleans before being crushed in Kenner.The Times-Picayune archive 

The horrors ‘12 Years a Slave’ couldn’t tell by Thavam Ratna