African-American literature in the context of David Walker (abolitionist)

⭐ Core Definition: African-American literature

African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. Phillis Wheatley was an enslaved African woman who became the first African American to publish a book of poetry, which was published in 1773. Her collection was titled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797) was an African man who wrote The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, an autobiography published in 1789 that became one of the first influential works about the transatlantic slave trade and the experiences of enslaved Africans. His work was published sixteen years after Phillis Wheatley's work (c. 1753–1784).

Other prominent writers of the 18th century that helped shape the tone and direction of African American literature were David Walker (1796–1830), an abolitionist and writer best known for his Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (1829); Frederick Douglass, who was a former enslaved person who became a prominent abolitionist, orator, and writer famous for his autobiographies, including Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845); and Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved woman who wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861).

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⭐ Core Definition: African-American literature
African-American literature in the context of African-American English
African-American literature in the context of African-American culture

African-American literature in the context of African-American English

African-American English (AAE) is the umbrella term for English dialects spoken predominantly by Black people in the United States and, less often, in Canada; most commonly, it refers to a dialect continuum ranging from African-American Vernacular English to more standard American English. Like all widely spoken language varieties, African-American English shows variation stylistically, generationally, geographically (that is, features specific to singular cities or regions only), in rural versus urban characteristics, in vernacular versus standard registers, etc. There has been a significant body of African-American literature and oral tradition for centuries.

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African-American literature in the context of African-American culture

African-American culture, also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English, refers to the cultural expressions of African Americans, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. It is defined by a history of collective struggle for civil and political rights, and rooted in shared practices, identities, and communities.

African-American culture has been influential on American and global culture. African-Americans have made major contributions to American literature, music, visual art, media, politics, science, business, and cuisine. Notably, African-American musical forms such as Jazz, Rock and Roll, and Hip-hop have been among the United States' most successful cultural exports.

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