William Wells Brown: A Brief Conclusion

 

William Wells Brown’s writing spanned five decades.  After escaping the hold of slavery at the age of twenty, Brown lived thought perhaps the most tumultuous time in American history, providing relevant commentary from a unique perspective.  Indeed, Brown’s experiences with slavery in his early years and his travels to Europe provided with a distinct view of race relations and slavery in America.  Regardless of one’s opinion on the merits of Brown’s writings, as Edward Coleman concludes, “his accomplishments represent one of the finest examples of courage, stamina, and growth in social understanding to be found in our history” (51).