Historical Context of the Book and Setting

Zora Neale Hurston wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937. She was born in January 7th, 1891 and the Civil War ended roughly 30 years prior to her birth. Even after that, she grew up in the south where there were still a bunch of segregation, tension and lynching. Sadly, all these attributes in the south were part of her everyday life and were viewed as second class citizens during that time period. The books takes place in Eatonville, Florida, which was the first black town, created after the emancipation proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln.