🔥 Solomon Northup: A Native Black American Man, Not an African Slave

Solomon Northup

Solomon Northup was born free in 1808 in Minerva, New York—a region once home to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). Multiple historical accounts suggest that Northup had Indigenous ancestry, and that his family lineage was part of the Indigenous tribes of the Northeastern Woodlands.

According to his autobiography Twelve Years a Slave, Northup was the son of a free man named Mintus Northup. Mintus was once enslaved, but gained his freedom decades before Solomon was born. This lineage, combined with records from the 19th century, suggest a complex ancestry that included Indigenous roots, not just African.

And unlike dramatized fiction, Northup’s book was published in 1853, just one year after he was liberated. His memoir includes actual names, locations, slave owners, and events—all verifiable through court documents and local records.

🔍 If you're a researcher, you'll find Northup's story cited in:

• Twelve Years a Slave (1853) by Solomon Northup

• Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave by David Fiske, Clifford W. Brown, and Rachel Seligman

• New York historical records on free Black landowners of the early 1800s

• Slave narratives collected in the 1930s by the WPA

Northup wasn’t telling a fantasy. He was exposing the kidnapping and reclassification of free Native Black Americans into slavery—a practice that was far more common than most people realize.

📺 Now Let’s Talk About Roots… and the Lie We Bought

Roots was released in 1977 and was hailed as a cultural milestone. It was said to be the true story of Kunta Kinte, an African man kidnapped and enslaved in America—based on the genealogy of author Alex Haley.

But here’s what they don’t teach in schools:

• Alex Haley admitted under oath that Roots was partly fictionalized.

• He was sued for plagiarism by author Harold Courlander, who wrote The African in 1967—a book about an African boy sold into slavery in South America, not the U.S.

• A federal court found that portions of Roots were copied from Courlander’s work, and Haley settled out of court for $650,000 in 1978.

  
  

That means the most famous “genealogical” story of Black America…Was not even based on Alex Haley’s family. It wasn’t based on American history. It wasn’t even based in the same hemisphere.

Yet it was fed to our people as truth, shown in schools, and rebroadcast every year to anchor us to one idea:

👉🏽 That we are only from Africa, and only because we were brought here in chains. No mention of Native roots. No mention of paper genocide, racial reclassification, or the Indigenous Black presence that was already here.

💣 Why This Matters: Historical Reclassification and the Erasure of Identity

The story of Solomon Northup directly contradicts the idea that all enslaved people were African imports. Many were free people of color, Native Black Americans, Indigenous to this land, reclassified through policies like:

• The Indian Removal Act (1830) – which forced Native Black tribes off their land.

• The creation of the Freedmen label – used to deny Native lineage and citizenship.

• The use of censuses and rolls like the Dawes Roll, where many dark-skinned Native people were listed as “Negro” or “Colored.”

What happened to Solomon Northup is not just a slavery story—it’s the story of what happens when your identity is stripped, redefined, and sold.

🧠 Hollywood vs. Historical Truth: Who Gets to Tell Our Story?

Why was Roots pushed so hard, while Twelve Years a Slave was buried in academic circles for 150 years?Why was Haley celebrated while Northup’s descendants were forgotten?

Because one narrative keeps us disconnected. The other empowers us to reclaim what was stolen.

Northup’s story reminds us: We weren’t just brought here. We were already here.

✊🏽 Want to Learn the REAL History of Native Black Americans?

I've built a digital archive that brings these suppressed truths back to the light. Become a member of the website https://www.nativeblackancestry.com/membership to get access to:

📚 Over 600 rare historical documents🗺️ Tribal records, reclassification files, and court testimonies📖 Book lists and first-hand accounts from Indigenous Black elders🧬 Tools to help you trace your family roots and reestablish tribal connections

Become a member. Reclaim your legacy.

💥 Stop letting Hollywood define your ancestry. Start learning who you really are.