Mary Prince - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Mary Prince (c. 1788 - c. 1833) stands as one of history's most significant voices against slavery, being the first Black woman to publish her autobiography in Britain and the first Black woman to present a petition to Parliament. Her narrative, "The History of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave," published in 1831, provided an unprecedented firsthand account of the brutal realities of enslaved life in the British Caribbean, catalyzing the British abolition movement.
Born into slavery in Bermuda, Prince's early life exemplifies the cruel complexities of colonial Caribbean society. Her narrative begins with her childhood memories of being separated from her family at age twelve, when she was sold at auction along with her sisters. Through subsequent sales, she endured various masters and jurisdictions, including Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, and Antigua, providing historians with crucial insights into the diverse manifestations of Caribbean slavery.
Prince's life took a dramatic turn in 1828 when she accompanied her owners, the Woods family, to London. Taking advantage of England's anti-slavery laws, she left their household, though technically remaining enslaved. Her connection with the Anti-Slavery Society led to the publication of her autobiography, which sparked immediate controversy. The narrative's graphic descriptions of slavery's brutality, combined with Prince's articulate testimony, challenged contemporary racist assumptions about enslaved people's intellectual capabilities and humanity.
The impact of Prince's autobiography reverberates through time, influencing not only the abolition movement but also modern understanding of slave narratives and Black female authorship. Her work preceded and influenced other slave narratives, including that of Frederick Douglass. Modern scholars continue to analyze her text for its complex layers of gender, race, and power relations in colonial society. Prince's story raises enduring questions about voice, agency, and the power of personal testimony in social movements. Her life demonstrates how individual resistance could catalyze systemic change, while the gaps in our knowledge about her later years remind us that many stories of enslaved people remain untold, waiting to be uncovered by future generations of researchers.