After he was rescued in 1853, Solomon Northup traveled around the United States making speeches about his twelve years in the South. He did this because he wanted American voters to stop slavery. Later, he wrote down his speeches as a book. Editor David Wilson helped Northup write the book. Some people have asked whether Northup really did do most of the work, but Wilson said that he heard Northup tell the story out loud many times without ever making a mistake or changing it and that he, Wilson, only helped Northup write it all down.