Books by William Wells Brown

For fans of American history and the abolition of slavery, 'Clotel' follows two sisters who are the fictional slave daughters of Thomas Jefferson. After Thomas Jefferson's death, Clotel and her sister Althesa encounter many hardships, with the women making heroic decisions in order to keep themselves safe and preserve their families. A harrowing story of huge importance, 'Clotel' is the first novel published by an African American. With historic overtones, the story looks at how slavery destroyed African-American families and tore them apart, and the difficulties mixed-raced people faced living in the mid-1800s.Those who enjoyed Ellen Watkins Harper's 'Iola Leroy' should certainly explore this gripping historical novel! William Wells Brown was a prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian in the United States. He was born into slavery in Montgomery County, Kentucky and escaped to Ohio in 1834 at the age of 19. He settled in Boston where he worked for abolitionist causes and became a prolific writer. His novel Clotel (1853), considered the first novel written by an African American, was published in London, where he resided at the time; it was later published in the United States.Brown was a pioneer in travel writing, fiction, and drama literary genres. In 1858 he became the first published African-American playwright and following the Civil War, in 1867 he published what is considered the first history of African Americans in the Revolutionary War. He was among the first writers inducted to the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, established in 2013. Brown was lecturing in England when the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law was passed in the US. As its provisions increased the risk of capture and re-enslavement, he stayed overseas for several years and traveled throughout Europe. After his freedom was purchased in 1854 by a British couple, he and his two daughters returned to the US.

Born into slavery, Clotel is a white-passing woman who conceals her identity and uses a disguise to infiltrate a plantation to rescue her loved ones. It's a story of survival that's deeply rooted in the cruelest part of American history.Clotel and Althesa are the illegitimate daughters of Thomas Jefferson and a slave woman named Currer. Despite their father's elite status, the girls are sold into slavery but attempt to use their fair complexions to their advantage. Clotel takes it a step further, dressing as a white man to emancipate her daughter who was sold against her will. Clotel; or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States is an American tragedy that explores generational trauma. William Wells Brown, who's considered the first African American novelist, uses his personal experience to illustrate the horrors of bondage. It's a heartbreaking tale that tests the undeniable power of the human spirit. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Clotel; or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States is both modern and readable.

Born into slavery, Clotel is a white-passing woman who conceals her identity and uses a disguise to infiltrate a plantation to rescue her loved ones. It's a story of survival that's deeply rooted in the cruelest part of American history. Clotel and Althesa are the illegitimate daughters of Thomas Jefferson and a slave woman named Currer. Despite their father's elite status, the girls are sold into slavery but attempt to use their fair complexions to their advantage. Clotel takes it a step further, dressing as a white man to emancipate her daughter who was sold against her will. Clotel; or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States is an American tragedy that explores generational trauma. William Wells Brown, who's considered the first African American novelist, uses his personal experience to illustrate the horrors of bondage. It's a heartbreaking tale that tests the undeniable power of the human spirit. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Clotel; or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States is both modern and readable.

This is the story of Clotel and her sister, the fictional slave daughters of Thomas Jefferson, and their attempt to escape and find freedom. William Wells Brown wrote this novel in 1853

At the age of 20, William Wells Brown escaped a life of slavery and found freedom on the banks of the Ohio River. He became an ardent abolitionist and a prolific writer. This play, published in 1858, may very well be the first piece of dramatic literature written by an African American