How was Solomon Northup educated?

Solomon Northup was educated informally during his early years, primarily through the influence of his parents, who valued learning despite being enslaved. He became literate by the age of 12, teaching himself to read and write with the help of local abolitionists and his mother's guidance. Northup's education was further enhanced by his experiences traveling and working in various roles, which exposed him to different ideas and cultures. His intelligence and eloquence later became crucial in documenting his life story in his memoir, "Twelve Years a Slave."