The Africans brought here against their will were not born slaves. ... In Africa their cultures were rich and varied, as different from one another as were the African peoples themselves. ... Aphra Gehn captures the market of literate women and gives them a different experience of literature. "Oroonoko" was a love story about an african prince put into slavery. ... He is a leader of an African Tribe, and nobleman of African descent. ...

• Word Count: 928
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Harper was born in Baltimore to African American free slaves. ... After reading this African American Literature piece, it showed me the horrible conditions of the slaves were and which pain and sorrow they had to live with. These past few weeks, I have be studying and analyzing African American Literature in a different perspective. ... Not only did it teach me, it made me respect African American literature. ... Slave and ex-slave narratives are important not only for what they tell us about African American history and literature, but also because they expose to us the complications of the...

• Word Count: 748
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

I would then like to insert the argument that the area of literature in which Wheatley published her works was highly censored since she was first African American slave to be formally recognized as a writer. ... In Wheatley's poem, "On Being Brought from Africa to America", the similarity of her writing to the message of the spirituals is apparent in carefully placed lines throughout the poem. ... In her poem Wheatley reminds not only her fellow African American's but Christians as well that all Christians, black and white, are admitted into heaven. ...

• Word Count: 295
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

The African resistance in the United states was much different than that of African resistance in other parts of the world. ... "The slaves made European forms serve African functions." ... The free Africans also helped the cause. The free Africans were also being mistreated and abused. ... Literature was written, narratives were produced, boycotts were organized and basically failed, legal defense for slaves was implemented, vigilantism was practiced, and probably the most famous effort to free slaves, the Underground Railroad was built. ...

• Word Count: 579
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. ... Frederick Douglass played a major role in the redefinition of American literature in the Civil War time period. ... He wrote three significant autobiographies that helped define the way literature developed during the Civil War time period. ... All of Douglass's achievements combines with his great literature to redefine the writings of the time. ... He changed many people's lives, and helped to earn the respect of African American's, as well as whites today. ...

• Word Count: 1277
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Douglass, as a former slave, single-handedly redefined American Civil War literature, simply by redefining how antislavery writings were viewed. ... One must not overlook Frederick Douglass's oratory skills when looking at his literary career; however, it is Douglass's form which left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. ... Douglass's Narrative was known as being a brief, descriptive, and easy to read piece of literature. ... Frederick Douglass played a major role in the redefinition of American literature in the Civil War time period. ... In the South, aboli...

• Word Count: 1987
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

But, as a student of literature, I hope that I could determine that the slaves would "adopt and attitude of wisdom, encouraging him to be brave" when they were fleeing Egypt. ... Smith begins with the general topic of African-America spirituals and leads into the specific spiritual "Go Down, Moses". ... Because these Jews had been slaves, African-American slaves felt a strong connection with their plight. ... Rather, she simply discusses how "these Jews" and the African-American slaves both wanted to be free. ... In reading "Go Down, Moses", I found myself comparing it to the works of modern A...

• Word Count: 1266
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Chesnutt was the first African American invited to write for this series and Frederick Douglass was the first African American biography included. Chesnutt and Douglass were men who played important roles in the history of African-Americans and the history of our country. ... The two books were the first works by an African American to be published by a major publishing house. ... He was a strong voice against the disfranchisement of African Americans, the showing of racist movies such as "The Birth of The Nation" and the publication of books denigrating African Americans. In 1928 ...

• Word Count: 913
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The preface of a piece of literature can sometimes be just as important as the story itself. ... Another example of his bias against slavery is in the way he describes the African race. ... Because of Garrison's intention in the preface, his work can be characterized as a type of protest literature. The purpose of protest literature is to influence the reader to join the cause of the author. Much like other protest literature, the preface is evoking the reader to help in the effort to end slavery. ...

• Word Count: 1690
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Frederick Douglass's Narrative acts as a protest literature against slavery. ... Unlike most African Americans, Frederick Douglass taught himself how to read and write along the way. ... As a free man Frederick Douglass was doing many things most African Americans were not able to do. ...

• Word Count: 726
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass both challenged their legitimacy of slavery through their literature. ... During the time of Stowe and Douglass literature, slavery was a big issue, which was taking over the south. ... In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe depicted the life of an African American man named Tom. ... He talked about although his father was white; he still got treated as if he was fully African American. ...

• Word Count: 1590
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Document J is an example of literature showing people the real life experiences of slaves. ... Document D was opposed to slavery' however instead of creating the slaves free, they wanted slaves to be moved back to Africa. ...

• Word Count: 657
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

To begin with, Calhoun states that there is not a better life for them as they are better off as slaves than as free people in Africa. ... Calhoun states in his speech that, "Never before has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually. ... Samuel Cartwright, a doctor residing at the University of Louisiana, debates two diseases that he believes are solely linked to the African American race. ... Overall, the authors of each piece of literature all hav...

• Word Count: 1520
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

One founded and the other perpetuated the institution of African slavery, resulting in generations of cruelty and savagery that had caused the deaths of thousands. ... The Africans' treatment of their former master reflects the horrors that they have experienced as slaves themselves. ... Through his silence, Melville characterizes society of his time by pointing out the absence of the black voice in literature and in society overall. ... The cause of antislavery was always argued by the predominantly white abolitionists rather than Africans and African Americans who were directly affected...

• Word Count: 1921
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Its goal was to send the free slaves to Liberia, Africa. ... Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass, (1818-1895), was the leading spokesman of African Americans in the 1800's. ... Harriet Tubman - Harriet Tubman was an African American whose daring rescues helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom. ... Although her career was short, it set the stage for the African American women speakers who followed: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman, among others. ... Douglass, an eloquent ex-slave from Maryland, was the leading African American spokesperson of the ti...

• Word Count: 2903
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Late 19th - Century American Literature Mark Twain's novel Pudd'nhead Wilson as a critique of 19th Century hierarchies based on racial segregation Mark Twain: Mark Twain was born on November 30th of the year 1835 in Florida, Missouri. ... For the following years Twain's literature became rather dull and negative. ... The reintegration of slaves, African Americans, had failed and certain laws were set up in order to maintain the divisions between black and white. ...

• Word Count: 3258
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School