Phillis Wheatley is one of the stars that shine bright in the big story of Black History. Like a beautiful poem, her life reveals how strong we can be and how words can change the world. She was the first African-American author to publish a book of poetry.
Born in 1753 in Gambia, Phillis Wheatley was taken captive by slave traders at the age of six to America in 1761, where she was sold to Susannah and John Wheatley’s family in Boston, Massachusetts. Her name was coined from the name of the ship that brought her to the United States, “The Phillis,” joined with the master’s name. Hence her name – Phillis Wheatley.
Upon her arrival at the Wheatley’s, the family recognized her intellect and decided to teach her how to read and write. She could read British Literature, the Bible, and Greek and Latin Classics in her first six months in America. Wheatley developed an interest in Poetry and started writing at age fourteen.
By age eighteen, she had written 28 poems about religion, morality, virtue, freedom and slavery, humanity, and elegies to honor and remember prominent figures.
Phillis, with the support of the Wheatleys, advertised for subscribers in Boston newspapers in February 1772 to publish her work; however, this advert did not appeal to the colonists as they were not going to support literature written by an African. So, she had no choice but to turn to London for a publisher. Her poem “On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield” was published in London and rapidly spread in cities like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, bringing Philis Wheatley recognition nationwide.
In every human beast, God has implanted a principle, which we call Love of Freedom;
Phillis Wheatley
it is impatient of oppression, and pants for deliverance
In 1773, she got financial support from the English Countess of Huntingdon to travel to London, where she published her first collection of 39 Poems, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, on September 1, 1773. This was the first book of poetry to be written by a black woman in America.
This book brought her more fame in both England and the American colonies and also got positive appraisal from prominent figures like George Washington, the first president of the United States.
It’s right to say that the path Phillis Wheatley walked was not easy. Still, despite the racial prejudice and discrimination, she was determined to continue writing until she carved a significant position in African-American History.
In 1778, Wheatley married John Peters, a free Black man, and had three children who died later. She continued to write and publish some poems even after marriage. She later worked as a servant and died at age 31 in 1784 after childbirth.
Some of the poems written by Phillis Wheatley include “His Excellency General Washington,” “A Farewell to America,” “To S. M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works,” “A Hymn to the Morning,” “On Virtue,” “On Imagination” and many more.
The world is a severe schoolmaster, for its frowns are less dangerous than
Phillis Wheatley
its smiles and flatteries, and it is a difficult task to keep in the path of wisdom
Aside from being recognized as the first African-American author to write a book of Poems, she received several honors during and after her lifetime. In 2002, Molefi Kete Asante, a scholar, listed her as one of his 100 greatest African Americans. She was also featured in the Boston Women’s Memorial, a 2003 sculpture on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Her recognition continues today, even on Black History online.