Final answer:
Solomon Northrup's story is unique as he was a free African American man who was kidnapped into slavery, contrasting with the millions of Africans who were forced into slavery and sent mainly to Brazil and the Caribbean for harsh labor on sugar plantations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the history of Solomon Northrup, an African American man who was born free but was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War United States. This story is an uncommon contrast to the majority of enslaved Africans who were forcibly taken from their homeland to toil in the plantations in Brazil and the Caribbean. The transatlantic slave trade horrifically displaced millions of Africans, with a significant portion ending up in Brazil, where they were exploited mainly in sugar plantations. Slave traders captured approximately 16 million Africans, with only 12 million arriving alive in the Americas, reflecting the brutal conditions of the Middle Passage. The plantations were notorious for their harsh and inhumane working conditions, often resulting in a high death rate among slaves.