Early African –American WritersTheir place in American Society

African American history predates the emergence of the United States as an independent country, and African-American literature has similarly deep roots. In broad terms, African-American literature can be defined as writings by people of African descent living in the United States. It is highly varied. African-American literature has generally focused on the role of African Americans within the larger American society and what it means to be an American. As Princeton University Professor Albert J. Raboteau has said, all African-American study "speaks to the deeper meaning of the African-American presence in this nation.