Black History Month Day 2: William Wells Brown

In our second day of Black History Month, is like to introduce, William Wells Brown, said to be the first African American novelist of many different literatures.

Born to a white father and enslaved mother, Brown picked up many trades of growing up in slavery before escaping in 1834. He settled in Ohio where he had given himself the surname Wells Brown out of respect of the Quaker family that took him in.

He later married and moved to New York where he gave lectures about his time in slavery for the Anti-Slavery Society and was a speaker for women’s rights as well.

In 1845 he wrote his first book Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave, Written by Himself. The success of this novel eventually led to him traveling to Europe between 1849 and 1854. During that time he delivered over a thousand speeches. After his travels he then wrote Three Years In Europe, and Clotel which are recognized as the first novels being written by an African American as well as his play The Escape was the first play written by an African American.

Years later after his success he would settle in Boston until his death in 1884.