Exploring William Wells Brown's Clotel

William Wells Brown's Clotel (1853) tells the story of two daughters of Thomas Jefferson and an enslaved woman named Currer, based on Sally Hemings. In February 2024, students in Ted Atkinson's AAS/EN 4343 course, "Studies in African American Literature," analyzed the history of the novel, some of its major themes, and the background of its author. Their work is presented here in honor of Black History Month.