Final answer:
Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' (1937) is often regarded as the first novel by an African American woman. It explores the journey of a young black woman in Eatonville, Florida, offering a profound narrative of self-discovery amidst early 20th-century African-American life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first novel by an African American woman is Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'.
This seminal work is semi-autobiographical and explores the life of a young African-American woman.
Published in 1937, the novel is set in the all-black town of Eatonville, Florida, and addresses the protagonist's journey through relationships and self-identity amidst the backdrop of the early 20th century African-American experience.
The emergence of the novel as a literary form in the 18th century created new avenues for women to interpret literature without male interpretation and also paved the way for novels that focus on African-American themes and experiences.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, while not the first American novel, was an immensely influential piece that underscored the power of literature in shaping public opinion and became the most-read novel of the 19th century, helping to fuel the abolitionist movement and contributing profoundly to the conversation on slavery and freedom.