Literature
African American literature first started in North America during the second half of the 18th century, with early writers setting out to stand up for the proposition that all men are created equal. One of the first writers to set the stage for this literature was Phillis Wheatley, who was enslaved in Boston when she wrote Poems of Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773). This was the first book written by an African American stating that African Americans were not inferior to those who were White.
During the early 19th century, African American literature took on the mission of communicating that slavery was wrong and a terrible sin for mankind. African American newspapers, which were inaugurated by Freedom’s Journal in 1827 discussed the achievements of African Americans worldwide while lobbying to abolish slavery.
Maria W. Stewart was the first African American political writer who issued her own work titled Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart in 1835. It encouraged African American women in the North to take a more outspoken role in Civil rights and building the black community. A year after Maria W. Stewart’s work was published, Jarena Lee, a domestic servant, published The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee, the first spiritual autobiography by an African American woman.
During the 19th century, African American literature took a turn due to a further educated African American population with literary ambitions who wanted to speak about racial justice. In the early 20th century, African American novelists became more prominent, writing nonfiction books and autobiographies about the struggles African Americans faced following the end of slavery and the civil war.
Civil rights literature discussed the freedom struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. Lorainne Hansberry and Alice Walker were two prominent writers of this time, taking an active role in the Civil Rights movement.
Current popular African American literature includes Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou amongst many others (Andrews, 2013).
During the early 19th century, African American literature took on the mission of communicating that slavery was wrong and a terrible sin for mankind. African American newspapers, which were inaugurated by Freedom’s Journal in 1827 discussed the achievements of African Americans worldwide while lobbying to abolish slavery.
Maria W. Stewart was the first African American political writer who issued her own work titled Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart in 1835. It encouraged African American women in the North to take a more outspoken role in Civil rights and building the black community. A year after Maria W. Stewart’s work was published, Jarena Lee, a domestic servant, published The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee, the first spiritual autobiography by an African American woman.
During the 19th century, African American literature took a turn due to a further educated African American population with literary ambitions who wanted to speak about racial justice. In the early 20th century, African American novelists became more prominent, writing nonfiction books and autobiographies about the struggles African Americans faced following the end of slavery and the civil war.
Civil rights literature discussed the freedom struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. Lorainne Hansberry and Alice Walker were two prominent writers of this time, taking an active role in the Civil Rights movement.
Current popular African American literature includes Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou amongst many others (Andrews, 2013).