12 Years a Slave: What happened to slave rebellion?

Scan page 12

“12 Years a Slave,” the story of a free Black man kid­ napped by slave traders, has won an Oscar for Best Picture of the Year and a slew of other awards—in­ cluding Best Writing for a screenplay adapted from another source, in this case the autobiography of Solo­ mon Northup. But in one important respect, the movie comes up short. Missing from the film is the slave re­ bellion and revolt that Solomon Northup portrayed so vividly in his book.

It is unfortunate that slave resistance is missing from a movie destined to become a classic portrayal of slav­ ery. “12 Years a Slave” plays into that political current, which sees oppressed and exploited people only as victims, as mere objects of uncontrollable historical forces, rather than people making history by fighting back.

“They are deceived who flatter themselves that the ignorant and debased slave has no conception of the magnitude of his wrongs,” Northup writes. “They are deceived who imagine that he arises from his knees, with back lacerated and bleeding, cherishing only a spirit of meekness and forgiveness.

“A day may come—it will come, if his prayer is heard—a terrible day of vengeance,” Northup contin­ ues, “when the master in his turn will cry in vain for mercy.”

Slave revolts Nat Turner led a bloody slave revolt in Virginia in 1831, 10 years before Northup was sold into slavery. Turner rallied an estimated 70 or more slaves and killed 50-60 whites. Turner was later captured and hanged, along with many others. But this rebellion struck terror into the hearts of the slave masters.

Turner’s rebellion was only the largest of many. Her­ bert Aptheker documented 250 similar rebellions in his groundbreaking book, “American Negro Slave Re­ volts.”

“Let them know the heart of the poor slave … and they will find that ninety-nine out of every hundred are intelligent enough to understand their situation, and to cherish in their bosoms the love of freedom,” Northup writes.

Even before he was sold into slavery, Northup, living in Saratoga, New York, “frequently met with slaves, who had accompanied their masters from the South. … Almost uniformly I found they cherished a secret desire for liberty.”

But where is this slave resistance in the movie? There is little to be seen. The tone of the movie is set early on in a conversation between Northup and two other free men who have been kidnapped. “I say we fight,” says Robert, proposing a mutiny and seizure of the slave ship on which they are being transported.

“The crew is fairly small,” says Northup. “If it were well planned, I believe they could be strong armed.” But Clemens responds, “Three can’t stand against a whole crew. The rest here are niggers, born and bred slaves. Niggers ain’t got the stomach for a fight, not a damn one.” And, in the movie, that is the end of any talk of mutiny.

This is not the story Northup tells. Northup wrote that he and another kidnapped free man, Arthur, hatched a plot to seize the brig Orleans, on which they were being transported to New Orleans. They then re­ cruited another kidnapped man, Robert, who “entered into the conspiracy with a zealous spirit.”

They developed a detailed plan about how to over­ power the brig’s captain and crew. They did not tell any of the other slaves about their plan, not knowing who to trust, but obviously counted on their acquies­ cence, if not their support, once they seized control of the ship. The plan was only abandoned after Robert came down with smallpox and died, his body thrown overboard.

On the plantation The only slave who fights back once Northup gets to Louisiana is Northup. We see the slave Eliza wailing and weeping about being separated from her children. We see the slave Patsey beg Northup to kill her. Later Patsey speaks back to slave master Epps before being brutally whipped. And in one scene Northup stumbles onto the lynching of two slaves, although we never learn why. That’s about it.

Early on in his autobiography, Northup meets a slave named Lethe in a slave pen in Richmond, Virginia. “Le­ the … continually gave utterance to the lan­ guage of hatred and revenge. Her husband had been sold. … She cared not whither they might carry her. Pointing to the scars upon her face, the desperate creature wished that she might see the day when she could wipe them off in some man’s blood!”

Northup later relates a story where “some man’s blood” was shed. A certain slave, not far from the plantation on which Northup was enslaved, “was ordered to kneel and bare his back for the reception of the lash. They were in the woods alone—beyond the reach of sight or hearing. The boy submitted until maddened at such injustice, and insane with pain, he sprang to his feet, and seiz­ ing an axe, literally chopped the overseer in pieces.”

Having risen from his knees and slain his oppressor, “He made no attempt whatever at concealment, but hastening to his master, related the whole affair. … He was led to the scaffold, and while the rope was around his neck, maintained an undismayed and fear­ less bearing, and with his last words justi­ fied the act.”

Despite the near certainty of apprehen­ sion, “the woods and swamps are … continu­ ally filled with runaways,” Northup writes. He even describes one incident where he is attacked by a group of escaped slaves try­ ing to seize “a dressed pig in a bag swung over my shoulder.” Northup escapes, but ac­ knowledges, “They had no evil design upon me, except to frighten me out of my pig … driven to this extremity by necessity.”

Northup even tells of a “concerted movement among a number of slaves” to escape to Mexico. “Lew Cheney, with whom I became acquainted … conceived the proj­ ect of organizing a company sufficiently strong to fight their way against all opposition, to the neighboring territory of Mexico.”

“A remote spot, far within the depths of the swamp back of Hawkin’s plantation, was selected as the rally­ ing point. Lew flitted from one plantation to another, in the dead of night, preaching a crusade to Mexico, and, like Peter the Hermit, creating a furor of excite­ ment wherever he appeared. At length, a large num­ ber of runaways were assembled; stolen mules, and corn gathered from the fields, and bacon filched from smokehouses, had been conveyed into the woods. The expedition was about to proceed, when their hiding place was discovered.”

Unfortunately, Cheney then turned traitor. “Depart­ ing secretly from the encampment, he [Cheney] pro­ claimed among the planters the number collected in the swamp, and, instead of stating truly the object they had in view, asserted their intention was to emerge from their seclusion the first favorable opportunity, and murder every white person along the bayou.”

Doubtless with Nat Turner’s revolt in mind, Cheney’s story “filled the whole country with terror.” The plant­ ers surrounded and surprised the runaway encamp­ ment. The prisoners, along with “many who were suspected, but entirely innocent,” were “without the shadow of process or form of trial, hurried to the scaf­ fold.”

This revolt, although tragically aborted, became “a subject of general and unfailing interest in every slavehut on the bayou.” Despite its tragic consequences, “such an idea as insurrection” persisted.

“More than once,” Northup relates, “I have joined in serious consultation, when the subject has been dis­ cussed, and there have been times when a word from me would have placed hundreds of my fellow-bonds­ men in an attitude of defiance. Without arms or am­ munition, or even with them, I saw such a step would result in certain defeat, disaster and death, and always raised my voice against it. … “It is a mistaken opinion that prevails in some quar­ (continued on page 11, in “Rallies demand: ‘Not one more deportation!’”)

----- pull-quotes -----

12 SOCIALIST ACTION APRIL 2014 It is unfortunate that slave resistance is missing from a movie destined to become a classic portrayal of slavery.