Patsey (ca. 1830–after 1863) was an African-American enslaved woman.
Solomon Northup
Solomon Northup (born July 10, 1807-1808) was an American abolitionist and the primary author of the memoir ''Twelve Years a Slave''. A free-born African American from New York, he was the son of a freed slave and a free woman of color. A far ...
wrote about her in his book ''
Twelve Years a Slave
''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., ...
'', which is the source for most of the information known about her. There have been two adaptations of the book in film, ''
Solomon Northup's Odyssey
''Solomon Northup's Odyssey'', reissued as ''Half Slave, Half Free'', is a 1984 American television film based on the 1853 autobiography ''Twelve Years a Slave'' by Solomon Northup, a free black man who in 1841 was kidnapped and sold into slavery. ...
'' in 1984 and the better known ''
12 Years a Slave'', in 2013. In the latter Patsey was portrayed by
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Lupita Nyong'o, several accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, and nominations for ...
, who won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
Life
Patsey's mother was said to have been from
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, enslaved and taken to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. She was then sold to a family named Buford in the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
. Patsey is believed to have been born around 1830, in South Carolina.
In 1843, when she was 13, she was sold to
Edwin Epps in Louisiana.
According to Northup, Edwin Epps had "repulsive and coarse" manners and did not have a sense "of kindness or of justice." When drunk, he would lash out at enslaved people with a whip, enjoying the sound of their screams.
Epps leased the
Bayou Huffpower Bayou Huffpower is a stream in Avoyelles Parish between Cottonport and Bunkie, Louisiana, named for an old settler. Bayou Hoffpauir was the name of a United States post office in the area. Pitt's Mill was located on Bayou Huffpower at Evergreen-Hol ...
plantation from Joseph B. Robert, his wife's uncle. In 1845, Epps moved Patsey and other enslaved people to his 300-acre plantation near
Bunkie in
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles (french: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the
Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,07 ...
.
Solomon Northup
Solomon Northup (born July 10, 1807-1808) was an American abolitionist and the primary author of the memoir ''Twelve Years a Slave''. A free-born African American from New York, he was the son of a freed slave and a free woman of color. A far ...
and Patsey became friends on the Epps plantation. Known as the "queen of the fields", Patsey was often praised by her owner for her ability to pick large amounts of cotton, up to 500 pounds a day. Northup said that she was unlike the other slaves and had a spirit that was unwavering in its strength.
She had been "a joyous creature, a laughing, light-hearted girl" who fervently dreamed of freedom.
While an underage teen, she began to be raped by Epps.
He
whipped Patsey if she resisted his sexual demands, which left "scars of thousand stripes" on her back. His wife was jealous of her and "nothing delighted the mistress so much as to see her suffer," according to Northup.
She physically abused Patsey and demanded that Epps sell Patsey, which he would not do.
Mary tried to bribe other workers and slaves to kill Patsey and dump her body in the swamps, but no one would. Even though Patsey was a highly productive slave and a favorite of Epps, she endured abuse by a "licentious master and a jealous mistress".
On one occasion, she had gone to a neighboring plantation for a bar of
soap
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...
. When Epps found out she had left his plantation, he had four stakes hammered into the ground and ordered her hands and feet to be tied to them, she was stripped naked and Northup was then ordered to whip her. Epps then took the whip himself until she was "literally flayed" from over 50 lashes. Salt water was then poured over her wounds. She nearly died. Northup and Patsey were severely
traumatized
Psychological trauma, mental trauma or psychotrauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or series of events, such as accidents, rape, or natural disasters. Reactions such as psychological shock and psychological denial are typical. ...
due to all the abuse that she endured. After this brutal whipping, she lost her light-hearted manner, the sparkle in her eyes, and the ease of her laughter.
She often wished that she would die.
Northup knew Patsey for almost a decade. As he was about to leave the Epps plantation in 1853, he said that:
Northup then boarded a carriage to freedom and he never saw her again. In 1854, his book ''
Twelve Years a Slave
''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., ...
'' was published. Almost ten years after, during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, the
110th New York Infantry Regiment came to the plantation. They met Bob, one of the enslaved men mentioned in Northup's book, which several of the soldiers had read. Patsey left the plantation in May 1863 with the Union soldiers. Her life and fate thereafter is unknown.
Popular culture
The 2013 film ''
12 Years a Slave'' was nominated for nine
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and won the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...
.
[ Writer Katie Calautti chronicled her search for what became of Patsey in a 2014 ''Vanity Fair'' article.] With renewed interest from the film, historians continue to research in hopes of pinpointing more specifically what happened to her.
See also
*
List of people who disappeared
Lists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ''in absentia''. Some of these people were possibly subjected to enfo ...
References
Bibliography
* , a complete biography of Northup
*
{{Slave narrative
19th-century American slaves
American people of Guinean descent
1830s births
Year of death unknown
19th-century American people
19th-century African-American women