The Life of William Wells Brown

The Life of William Wells Brown

by Jaterrica Williams and M’Nyjah Young

Intro

William Wells Brown was one of the most profound writers of his time. Brown was said to have been born in 1814 and passed November 6, 1884. He was an abolitionist and novelist as well as a playwright. Brown was the first African-American to publish a novel. He and his works have had a profound effect on literature. Brown’s writings depicted the ugliness and brutal irony of slavery in a country founded on “freedom.” Throughout his life Brown had a yearning for knowledge and understanding.

Earlier Years

William Wells Brown was born on a plantation on the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky. Brown was the son of an enslaved woman by the name of Elizabeth and his father is said to have been a relative of his enslaver. During Brown’s twenty years in slavery, he served many masters doing various trades. At one point, Brown tried running away with his mother, but to no avail. One day in January of 1834, getting another opportunity, Brown ran away from the steamboat of his owner. On his journey to freedom Brown was helped by a Quaker family by the names of Mr. and Mrs. Wells Brown. That is where his name came from. On his departure Brown was given money to help him continue his journey.

Later Years

After Brown's refuge with the Ohio Quakers, he used his first shilling from work to buy a spelling book which he used to teach himself how to read and write. The following 9 years, Brown worked on a Lake Erie steamboat while also a conductor for the Underground Railroad in Buffalo, NY. He married a free woman named Elizabeth Spooner. The two had three daughters, one of whom died at birth. In 1836, Brown moved to Buffalo, where he continued his career as an abolitionist as a lecturer for the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society. He then went on to become a speaker on behalf of the Women's Rights and Temperance movements. From 1849-1854, Brown lived in Europe where he gave multiple speeches and wrote Clotel. His wife passed during his stay in Europe. Brown soon remarried Annie Elizabeth Grey in 1860 and continued his literary and political career in Boston.

Achievement

During Brown’s lifetime he had many profound achievements. He was internationally known as a renowned antislavery activist. He devoted his life to reform. Brown broke ground in many areas of literature for African Americans, writing the first African American novel, having the first play printed by an African American, and writing the first African American travelogue. Brown is even celebrated today having an Elementary school named after him.

Works

  • Three Years In Europe (1852); Expanded to The American Fugitive In Europe (1855)
  • Clotel (1853) {novel}
  • The Escape or, A Leap for Freedom (1858) {play}
  • The Black Man (1863)
  • The Negro in the American Rebellion (1867)
  • The Rising Son (1873)
  • My Southern Home (1880)

Works Cited

Engledew, Devin. “William Wells Brown (Ca. 1814-1884).” Blackpast.org, 8 Mar. 2007,
www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/brown-william-wells-1814-1884/.

“William Wells Brown | American Writer | Britannica.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020, www..com/biography/William-Wells-Brown.

“William Wells Brown – NB Historical Society.” Nbhistoricalsociety.org, nbhistoricalsociety.org/portfolio-item/william-wells-brown/#:~:text=Brown%20personified%20the%20American%20Dream. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.

“William Wells Brown, 1814?-1884.” Docsouth.unc.edu, docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/brownw/bio.html.

“William Wells Brown Historical Marker.” Www.hmdb.org, www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=81219. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.

The Life of William Wells Brown