The Escape; Or, A Leap For Freedom: A Drama, in Five Acts

by William Wells Brown

"The Escape; Or, A Leap For Freedom: A Drama, in Five Acts" by William Wells Brown is a play written in 1858. This pioneering work of African American dramatic literature tells the story of two enslaved people from different plantations who secretly marry. When the wife catches the dangerous attention of her owner, Dr. Gaines, and his jealous wife seeks deadly revenge, the couple must flee for their lives. Their desperate journey follows the North Star toward freedom in Canada, with slave hunters in close pursuit.