Charles Waddell Chesnutt (June 20, 1858 – November 15, 1932) was an African American author. Born to former slaves in Cleveland, Ohio, his family moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina after the Civil War in 1866. He worked as a teacher, spent some time in New York City, then returned to Cleveland, where he passed the bar exam and became a lawyer in 1887. He had also learned stenography as a young man in North Carolina, and he established a lucrative stenography business in Cleveland. June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... The word slaves has several meanings and usages: People who are owned by others, and live to serve them without pay. ... City nickname: The Forest City Location in Cuyahoga County, Ohio County Cuyahoga Mayor Jane Campbell Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 213. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft (R) Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ... Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, music, and culture. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

While living in Cleveland, he began publishing stories, which appeared in various magazines, including Atlantic Monthly. His first book, The Conjure Woman, appeared in 1899. In its style, setting in the pre-war plantations of the South, and its use of dialect, the book is reminiscent of the works of Joel Chandler Harris, but Chesnutt differs from Harris in his scathing attacks on the institution of slavery. He continued writing short stories (The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line; 1899), and a biography of Frederick Douglass. He also wrote three full-length novels, the most important of which was The Marrow of Tradition, based on the Wilmington, North Carolina massacre of 1898. His novels were not as successful as his short stories. The Atlantic Monthly (also known as The Atlantic) is an American literary/cultural magazine that was founded in November 1857. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Joel Chandler Harris (December 8, 1848 - July 3, 1908) was an American journalist from Georgia, best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories: Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings (1881), Nights with Uncle Remus (1883), Uncle Remus and His Friends (1892), and Uncle Remus and the Little Boy (1905). ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, c. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... A novel by Charles Waddell Chesnutt published in 1901 and based on the 1898 race riots in Wilmington, North Carolina. ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

It was only toward the end of his life that Chesnutt won real recognition as a prominent African American author. Throughout most of his career he relied on his stenography business to support himself. He died in 1932. 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ...

See also

• African American literature