Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Clotelle
Clotel, or the President's Daughter is a book which was published in London, England during December 1853 by William Wells Brown (1815-84) a fugitive from slavery and abolitionist. It gained notoriety amid the unconfirmed rumors regarding Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings. Brown was still considered someone elses legal property within the borders of the United States at the time of its publication. It is considered the first African American written novel. The book follows the experiences of three generations of women during slavery.
Brown used the injustices of slavery to demonstrate the destructive effects it had on the African American family, most significantly the so-called tragic mulatto. Brown had escaped from slavery in Kentucky while still in his youth, becam active on the antislavery circuit, and became a delegate to the World Peace Congress in 1849.
External Links
Project Gutenberg Presents Clotel, or The President's Daughter by William Wells Brown
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