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18th and 19th Century African American Literature

In this project, you will find out more about early African American literature. African American Literature was largely ignored until the Harlem Renaissance (1910-1930). To the extent that African Americans were represented in mainstream literature, it was in works written by white authors.
The hands of a Black child holding a small American flag. The palms of the hands are pressed together. Photo.
Bilete: DVIDSHUB / CC BY-SA 4.0

Today, there is more and more interest in exploring literature written by African Americans in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century. Not many African American writers were published during this period. Slavery began in the 1600s and lasted until 1865, and in the years that followed, the United States became a segregated society. Most of those who did write were ignored by both the critics and the general public. Only in recent years have these authors been rediscovered, and they are starting to get the recognition they deserve.

Below, you will find a short list of African American authors who wrote during this period.

Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784)

Jupiter Hammon (1711–1806)

Olaudah Equiano (1745–1797)

David Walker (1796–1830)

Sojourner Truth (1797–1883)

Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897)

Frederick Douglass (1817–1895)

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)

Task:

  • Choose at least two authors. Learn more about their lives and their works.

  • Put the work into a historic context: What was the United States like for African Americans at the time they lived? How were the authors influenced by the time they lived in, and how did they influence society at the time?

  • Study and analyse at least one work by each author.

  • What can modern readers learn from reading these works?

  • What is the legacy of these authors?

Alternative task – Black literature in the UK:

Perhaps you would rather study Black Literature in the UK? If so, the following resource from the British Library may be a good starting point:

Link to 'Black Literature Timeline' on the British Library's website