Mary Prince (l. c. 1788 to c. 1833) was the first enslaved Black woman to publish an autobiography/slave narrative. Prince was illiterate but dictated her life story to the writer Susanna Strickland (l. 1803-1885), published in 1831 as The History of Mary Prince, which became a bestseller and garnered support for the abolitionist movement.
More about: Mary PrinceDefinition
Timeline
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c. 1788 - c. 1833Life of Mary Prince, former slave, author of The History of Mary Prince.
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c. 1800 - 1815Mary Prince is sold four times to four different masters, moving between Bermuda, Grand Turk, and Antigua.
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1826Mary Prince marries Daniel James, a freeman, while enslaved in Antigua.
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1828Mary Prince is taken by her master and his family to England where she leaves them and takes refuge with the Moravian Church.
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1830Mary Prince dictates her autobiography to Susanna Strickland.
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1831The History of Mary Prince is published in England and becomes a bestseller.
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1833Last mention of Mary Prince in the historical record.
