William W. Brown Essay, Research Paper
William Wells Brown was the first black novelist. He was also a Negro reformer and historian. According to who you talk to, his birth varies from 1814,1815, and 1816. Brown was born in Lexington Kentucky. His mother was a slave and his father is said to be one George Higgins, a white slaveholder. As a youth, Brown worked on steamships, but was later employed in a print-shop owned by Elijah P. Lovejoy, then editor of the St Louis Times. Working in this capacity, Brown got his start in education. Soon he was returned back to working on steamboats. In 1834, he escaped into Ohio, intending to cross Lake Eire into Canada. On the way he was sheltered by a Quaker, Wells Brown, whose name he assumed in addition to the name William. He now took up steamboating on Lake Erie and obtained the position of steward in which he was able to help many a fugitive to freedom. In the year of his escape, he married a former slave who was now free and had two daughters.
Profiting from school instruction and help from friends, he acquired considerable knowledge of the fundamentals of English. In the North he soon learned to speak the English language so fluently that he could easily present the claim of the Negro for freedom. During 1843-49, he was variously employed as a lecturer of the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society, and the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. In 1849, he visited England and represented the American Peace Society at the Peace Congress in Paris. Highly recommended by the American Anti-Slavery Society as an apostle of freedom, he was welcomed by famous Europeans such as Victor Hugo, James Haughton, George Thompson, and Richard Cobden. He remained abroad until 1854. During these years of his activity as a reformer, Brown found time also to study medicine. Like many of the physicians of his time, he did not undergo formal training in this field. He attended lectures in medical science and obtained privately other knowledge required to service as a practitioner. Although he knew sufficient medicine to be useful in the profession, the urgent need for fighting battles of the Negro kept him in the working of reform. Browns’ reputation rests largely on his ability as an hisotrian. His writings covered various fields. The first to appear was his Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave (1847). His next important book was Three Years in Europe (1852). In 1853, he published Clotel, or the President’s Daughter, a Narrative of Slave Life in the United States. The latter, could be his most famous book because it deals with something that was very common but rarely spoken of during his day.
Brown based this novel on the claim that Thomas Jefferson, who wrote many works on human freedom while continuing to buy, sell, and work slaves, had fathered many slave children. According to the stories, one of these illegitimate children, a beautiful young girl, was sold at an auction. Although the story may or may not be true, Brown used the story to attack slavery and the people for slavery. Clotel, or The President’s Daughter is also used as a reference to what slave life really was. Brown described in vivid detail about how and what it felt like to go to the auction block. He discussed how his master would make him shave the older slaves’ heads to make them look younger. Brown talked in length about how families are broken up on the auction block. Since Brown himself was separated from his mother, this may have been the hardest for him to accept. He also talked about the many nights he was traveling while trying to reach Canada. In this book, he discusses how he was self-educated. He would bribe white children with sugar candy to teach him how to read and understand letters. Clotel, or The President’s Daughter follows this young slave through life. She experiences first hand the pain of slavery, everything from the cruelties of her master to losing her own daughter to the slave auctions.
Another book Brown is famous for is The Negro in the American Rebellion. In this book, Brown goes over things, such as when the first blacks arrived in the colonies, Crispus Attucks, the mulatto slave who some say was the first victim of the Revolutionary War, he also discusses the role that blacks played in the War of 1812. Later in the book, Brown goes in depth over the Nat Turner insurrection and what came about from that. Overall, this book was just a list of chronological events that the blacks went through went they first came over to this country in 1620 all the way to when they were leaders in the Army in 1863.
William Wells Brown was much more than just the first black novelist. Brown’s fight for anti-slavery was not the only thing he stood for. He made stands against temperance, woman’s suffrage and prison reform. He was associated with the most ardent abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips. He was a man that beat the odds and stood his ground for something he believed in. His works although may be controversial, was direct and to the point. He made people think and realize that no one, regardless of race should be hypocritical to what he or she says or does. Brown received a lot of controversial feedback for not knowing all the facts, not knowing any personal relatives of Jefferson, and the chronological inconsistencies in his story. The anachronisms in Brown’s Clotel, or the President’s Daughter, detracted nothing from his portrayal of American slavery as he had come to know it. Presumably, therefore, they were from his point of view and from how he felt about things. Yes, William Wells Brown is much more than just the first black novelist.
Другие работы по теме:
Shakespeare In Love Essay Research Paper Modern
Shakespeare In Love Essay, Research Paper Modern theatre still falls more or less in the category of popular culture, it is the cinema that equates more to the Elizabethan drama than the theatre. Thus it is a film Shakespeare in love, that we see exploring a fictional depiction of the life of William Shakespeare.
BiographyWilliam Shakespeare Essay Research Paper Biography William
Biography:William Shakespeare Essay, Research Paper Biography: William Shakespeare William Shakespeare, playwright, whose work stands to be the most translated non-religious literature ever was born on April 23rd, 1564 and was baptized the day after in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He was the third of eight children born into the family of John Shakespeare-a well known merchant, and Mary Arden.
The Alamo Essay Research Paper I shall
The Alamo Essay, Research Paper I shall never surrender or retreat … I Am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what it is due to his honor and that of his country-VICTORY OR DEATH.” This was a letter sent by William Barret Travis during the siege of the Alamo on February 24, 1836.
William Mckinley Essay Research Paper William McKinley
William Mckinley Essay, Research Paper William McKinley was the seventh of nine children born to William and Nancy Allison McKinley. He was born in the Niles in 1843. His grandfathers had both fought in the American Revolution, and in 1830 his paternal grandfather had settled in Niles, Ohio. There, he opened a small pig-iron foundry.
William Jennings Bryan Essay Research Paper William
William Jennings Bryan Essay, Research Paper William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan was a lawyer and a statesman who changed our nation for the better. Although he had many failed attempts at becoming president, he managed to change government with his innovative ideas. He showed the nation it s problems and fixed them; all the while meeting the publics needs.
William Tyndale Essay Research Paper How has
William Tyndale Essay, Research Paper ?How has William Tyndale?s translation influenced all the following English translations of the Bible?? In 1525, William Tyndale began to write his famous version of the scriptures. Printing had already been achieved, so Tyndale had the desire to give the people a Bible of their own, in their own language.
William Faulkner Essay Research Paper In William
William Faulkner Essay, Research Paper In William Faulkner’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, he says, “He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, and victories without hope and worst of all, without pity or compassion.” William Faulkner is referring to “He” as the typical writer today.
Crucible Essay Research Paper The Crucible is
Crucible Essay, Research Paper The Crucible is a play about witchcraft. It all begins with a group of young women playing with witchcraft taught by Tituba and Abigail William?s. Reverend
King James Essay Research Paper Chapter Two
King James Essay, Research Paper Chapter Two of William James’s Pragmatism called “What Pragmatism Means” begins with the famous metaphysical question: Does the man go round the squirrel or not? What he means by this is if a man walks around a tree in a full circle, and a squirrel is one of the tree branches, how come it never occurs to the man to say that he not only walked around the tree, but the squirrel as well?
Love In Hamlet Essay Research Paper Hamlet
Love In Hamlet Essay, Research Paper Hamlet is, without any doubt, one of William Shakespeare’s most puzzling plays. Often times, the reader becomes engulfed in the mystery, trickery and deceit in this tragedy. People become perplexed while reading Hamlet when they ask themselves the question, “Does Hamlet truly love Ophelia?”.
William James Essay Research Paper William James
William James Essay, Research Paper William James, in the first lecture of his work the varieties of religious experiences analyzes the origins of religious phenomena. The theory mostly debated among others is that of medical materialism.
Krypton Essay Research Paper The element that
Krypton Essay, Research Paper The element that I have chosen in . The people who discovered it are known as Sir William Ramsay and Morris William Travers. Sir William Ramsay and Morris William
William Taft Essay Research Paper William H
William Taft Essay, Research Paper William H. Taft (1857-1930) His large size and his famous chuckle made Taft a memorable figure. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, with fair skin, clear blue eyes, and light hair. At the time he was president he weighed 350 pounds. He joked about his bulk and took no offense at the jokes of others.
Revolutions Essay Research Paper One of the
Revolutions Essay, Research Paper One of the six revolutions that I have studied independently is the Glorious Revolution. The Glorious Revolution took place in England during 1688 to 1689. James II and the Catholic
William Bennett Essay Research Paper In William
William Bennett Essay, Research Paper In William Bennett?s ?Announcing a Public Campaign Against Select Day-Time Television Talk Shows?, William Bennett gives his view of the content that is being
William Golding Life Outline Essay Research Paper
William Golding s Life Outline William Golding led a fulfilled life that helped him write the wonderful novels that he did. Many of Goldings experiences and encounters throughout life caused Golding to be a world renowned writer. Many of Goldings works can be related in one way or another to key points in Goldings history.
William G Golding Essay Research Paper William
William G. Golding Essay, Research Paper William Gerald Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911. His family was progressive and it was the first source of influence for Golding’s talent. He studied physics and English literature at Marlboro and Oxford University of England. From the first years of his life, he faced the atrocities of war.
Bill Clinton Essay Research Paper Award WinnerThe
Bill Clinton Essay, Research Paper Award Winner The most deserving person in the world to receive the Swift Silken Thread for Meaningless Achievement Award is former president William Jefferson Clinton. He was
William Faulkners
“As I Lay Dying” Essay, Research Paper The main purpose for most of William Faulkner?s novel, As I Lay Dying, is to bury their beloved mother and wife, Addie Bundren, in a town called Jefferson, which is a very long and strenuous trip for them to make. The statement death shapes life perfectly describes this chain of events.
The Human Brain Essay Research Paper An
The Human Brain Essay, Research Paper An English project by Chad Johnson and Emily Hicks This page has been accessed 799967 times since March 25, 1996. Announcing 123novels!
William Blake Essay Research Paper This week
William Blake Essay, Research Paper This week I was scheduled to work with Irene Balli. She is one of dining services main managers. She mostly oversees all of the banquets that go on here at Marywood. On the 16th of April was the Cor Marie, which is a very large banquet that consists of all major heads of all departments at Marywood.
A Roses For Emily Essay Research Paper
william faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily’, and Charlotte Gilman’s “A Yellow Wall paper” are alike in many ways. The two women are in similar situations, both are violated by
Descriptive Essay On William Wallace 1 Pg
. Essay, Research Paper A Descriptive Essay On William Wallace A man of low status and called by some an outlaw or bandit, it may have been that Wallace was being used by more powerful Scottish politicians as a cover for their rebellion so they would not break their feudal vows to the king of England.
William Wordsworth Essay Research Paper Wordsworths Way
William Wordsworth Essay, Research Paper Wordsworth?s Way of Explaining His Past ?William Wordsworth, English poet, one of the post accomplished and influential of England?s romantic poets, whose theories and style created a new tradition in poetry ? ( Microsoft Encarta 1). Wordsworth began writing poetry when he was still in school, but it wasn?t until 1793 that any of his poems were published. ?Wordsworth?s political and intellectual sympathies underwent a transformation after 1800.
William Shakespeare Essay Research Paper William Shakespeares
William Shakespeare Essay, Research Paper William Shakespeare?s parents? names were John Shakespeare, and Mary Shakespeare. There is no accurate birth date known yet. William Shakespeare began school at the age 7, in Stratford, his hometown. At the age 13, William began working with his father in the gloving business.
William Lloyd Garrison Essay Research Paper William
William Lloyd Garrison Essay, Research Paper William Lloyd Garrison: Uncompromise During Times of Compromise William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879) was an American journalist and adamant abolitionist. Garrison became famous in the 1830s for his uncompromising denunciations of slavery.
Another BIll Gates Essay Research Paper William
Another BIll Gates Essay, Research Paper William or Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955. Bill had two sisters and they grew up in Seattle. Their father William H. Gates II is a Seattle
William Wallace Essay Research Paper William Wallace
William Wallace Essay, Research Paper William Wallace lived in the same time as Macbeth, in Scotland. He had a very interesting childhood, which was filled with many traumatizing experiences. William Wallace was born in 1274, the second son of Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie in the county of Renfrew. He grew up in what would now be comparable to the home of a well-to-do country gentleman, whose feudal vassals paid rent by their services.
Braveheart Essay Research Paper Braveheart The movie
Braveheart Essay, Research Paper Braveheart The movie Braveheart is based on the control of England over Scotland. England in that time was ruled by Longshanks who made it a very powerful country because the government very rich. The English would go around and kill harmless Scots and by mistake they killed William Wallace’s girlfriend.
ShakespeareS Biography Essay Research Paper ShakespeareShakespeare was
Shakespeare`S Biography Essay, Research Paper Shakespeare Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-avon. His mother’s name was Mary Arden, a member of the gentry. His father’s name was “John” Glover Shakespeare, a commoner. John tried to regain their position in society by getting a coat of arms, but was rejected three times.