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James Burch
Henry B. Northup, a white lawyer, is a longtime acquaintance of Solomon and the grandnephew of the man who freed Solomon’s father from slavery. He hears about Solomon’s situation from Solomon’s wife, Anne, after she catches wind of Solomon’s predicament from longtime acquaintances William Perry and Cephas Parker, who in turn heard of Solomon’s situation from Bass. Henry proves to be a faithful friend and skilled lawyer. He immediately takes on Solomon’s case and travels to Louisiana to find Solomon—not an easy task, considering that Solomon is exclusively known as Platt. He eventually frees Solomon, represents him in three court cases, and leads him back to New York.
Henry B. Northup Quotes in 12 Years a Slave
The 12 Years a Slave quotes below are all either spoken by Henry B. Northup or refer to Henry B. Northup. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 21
Quotes
The secret was out—the mystery was unraveled. Through the thick, black cloud, amid whose dark and dismal shadows I had walked twelve years, broke the star that was to light me back to liberty.
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Chapter 22
Quotes
I was then offered as a witness, but, objection being made, the court decided my evidence inadmissible. It was rejected solely on the ground that I was a colored man—the fact of my being a free citizen of New-York not being disputed. […] Burch himself was offered as a witness in his own behalf. It was contended by counsel for the people, that such testimony should not be allowed—that it was in contravention of every rule of evidence, and if permitted would defeat the ends of justice. His testimony, however, was received by the court!
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Henry B. Northup Quotes in 12 Years a Slave
The 12 Years a Slave quotes below are all either spoken by Henry B. Northup or refer to Henry B. Northup. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 21
Quotes
The secret was out—the mystery was unraveled. Through the thick, black cloud, amid whose dark and dismal shadows I had walked twelve years, broke the star that was to light me back to liberty.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22
Quotes
I was then offered as a witness, but, objection being made, the court decided my evidence inadmissible. It was rejected solely on the ground that I was a colored man—the fact of my being a free citizen of New-York not being disputed. […] Burch himself was offered as a witness in his own behalf. It was contended by counsel for the people, that such testimony should not be allowed—that it was in contravention of every rule of evidence, and if permitted would defeat the ends of justice. His testimony, however, was received by the court!
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