Published the same year in which Solomon Northrup was freed from his enslavement, 12 Years A Slave has been a pivotal documented memoir, describing the history of violence and cruelty done to the African American community. Northrup’s experience is testimony to the institutional racism in the United States, one that finally ended with the end of the American Civil War in 1856. The memoir became a vital source of history in the debate over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War. Northrup’s memoir is not just about the enslavement and the injustice he faced, but also about the courage with which he faced it all; his struggle for freedom; and his honest account of all that he experienced to tell the world about the inhuman practice of slavery. After falling into obscurity for nearly a century, it was rediscovered by a historian, Sue Eakin, in 1936. The memoir was reissued in the 1960s. Since its publication, the memoir has been a bestseller and has even been adapted into two film versions – the latter was released in 2013 and even received an Academy Award for Best Picture. Even today, 12 Years a Slave continues to serve as a crucial piece of historical evidence as well as a reminder of the racial injustice and brutality done to the African-American community in that era. 12 Years A Slave (1853) Published the same year in which Solomon Northrup was freed from his enslavement, 12 Years A Slave has been a pivotal documented memoir, describing the history of violence and cruelty done to the African American community. Northrup’s experience is testimony to the institutional racism in the United States, one that finally ended with the end of the American Civil War in 1856. The memoir became a vital source of history in the debate over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War. Northrup’s memoir is not just about the enslavement and the injustice he faced, but also about the courage with which he faced it all; his struggle for freedom; and his honest account of all that he experienced to tell the world about the inhuman practice of slavery. After falling into obscurity for nearly a century, it was rediscovered by a historian, Sue Eakin, in 1936. The memoir was reissued in the 1960s. Since its publication, the memoir has been a bestseller and has even been adapted into two film versions – the latter was released in 2013 and even received an Academy Award for Best Picture. Even today, 12 Years a Slave continues to serve as a crucial piece of historical evidence as well as a reminder of the racial injustice and brutality done to the African-American community in that era.