Slavery is a system in which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. These people can be held against their will upon capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, refuse to work or demand compensation. These people are known as slaves. One of the victims of this act was Solomon Northup, a free-born African American from New York. This essay is based on the early life, marriage, family, and work of Solomon Northup, including the harrowing story of his kidnapping and enslavement. Solomon Northup was born in July 1808 in Minerva, New York. His father, Mintus Northup, was originally a slave to the family of Henry Northup of Rhode Island, but was later freed upon the death of his master and adopted the Northup surname as his own, after the family moved to New York. Mintus Northup married and moved with his wife, a free woman of color, to the town of Minerva, Essex County, New York. Not much is known about his mother, who in her account does not identify herself by name. Mintus was widowed some time later. Their two sons, Solomon and Joseph, were born free according to the principle of partus sequitur bellym, since their father and mother were free people. Mintus' wife was of mixed ancestry and was considered a quadroon since she was one quarter black. Mintus was a successful farmer who met the property requirements to vote. The level of education he provided for his two sons was considered high for freed blacks at the time. Solomon played the violin well, but later ran his own farm in Hebron (Washington County). His father's final resting place was on the road from Fort Edward (from the War of 1763) to Argyle. He died in November 1829 and his grave is in the middle of the paper. Lashes were heard every day on Epps' plantation from sunset until bedtime. Epps sexually abused a young slave girl, Patsey, constantly raping her. This led to further serious physical and mental abuse, spurred on by Epp's wife. In 1852, Samuel Bass, who was a carpenter, came to work for Epps. Bass voiced his opponent's point of view, which ultimately prompted Northup to decide to reveal his secrets to him. Bass was the first person he told about his real name and his origins as a free man since he was first enslaved. In addition to sending a letter written by Northup, Bass also wrote several letters during his appeal to Northup's friends, providing common details of his location in Bayou Boeuf, in hopes of securing his rescue. Bass helped Northup after the Transient Slave Act of 1850 took effect, which increased nationwide penalties against people helping slaves escape..