William Wells Brown
American abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian (1814-1884) · France · On the map · Writers · Died at 70
William Wells Brown was an American abolitionist, novelist, playwright, and historian. Born into slavery near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Brown escaped to Ohio in 1834 at the age of 19. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked for abolitionist causes and became a prolific writer.
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Readable pdf of The black man - his antecedents, his genius, and his achievements, published for James M. Symms & Co.
William Wells Brown signage highlights his life and achievements in Buffalo NY including his aid to many freedom seekers. The location in Canalside, the waterfront park, is the site of Brown's home.
Clotel, or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United StatesAbout this person
While working for abolition, Brown also supported causes including: temperance, women's suffrage, pacifism, prison reform, and an anti-tobacco movement. He was a member of Prince Hall Freemasonry. His novel Clotel (1853), considered the first novel written by an African American, was published in London, England, where he resided at the time. It was later published in the United States.
