She was transported to Boston because she was too frail to be of practical use in the physically demanding sugar plantations of the South. Phillis Wheatley, (born c. 1753, present-day Senegal?, West Africa—died December 5, 1784, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.), the first black woman poet of note in the United States. John Wheatley, the Boston man who enslaved her, was impressed by Phillis' intellect and interest in learning, and he and his wife taught her to read and write. She also studied astronomy and geography. National Women's History Museum. It was probably Senegal or The Gambia.She was taken to work as a slave in the United States when she was about seven years old on a slave ship called The Phillis. The result is a literature rich in expressive subtlety and social insight, offering illuminating assessments of American identities and history. Zuck, Rochelle Raineri. In 1773, with financial support from the English Countess of Huntingdon, Wheatley traveled to London with the Wheatley's son to publish her first collection of poems. Born around 1753 in Gambia, Africa, Wheatley was captured by slave traders and brought to America in 1761. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley died shortly thereafter. ‘On Being Brought from Africa to America’ was written by Phillis Wheatley and published in her collection Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in 1773. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. It included a forward, signed by John Hancock and other Boston notables—as well as a portrait of Wheatley—all designed to prove that the work was indeed written by a black woman. In 1761, when she was about seven years old, the girl we have come to know as Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped from her home on the West Coast of Africa. Armenti, Peter. Her writing style embraced the elegy, likely from her African roots, where it was the role of girls to sing and perform funeral dirges. Famed author Louisa May Alcott created colorful relatable characters in 19th century novels. I cannot conceive By focusing on three speeches through her career, students will better be able to understand how Hamer was an agent of change. Wheatley’s personal qualities, even more than her literary talent, contributed to her great social success in London. In 1773, with financial support from the English Countess of Huntingdon, Wheatley traveled to London with the Wheatley's son to publish her first collection of poems, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral—the first book written by a black woman in America. “Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet of Colonial America: a story of her life,” About, Inc., part of The New York Times Company, n.d.. “African Americans and the End of Slavery in Massachusetts: Phillis Wheatley.” Massachusetts Historical Society. The poem was written in 1860, on the eve of the American Civil War, and sees an abolitionist expressing sympathy for the slave’s plight: Slavery, O Slavery! "Phillis Wheatley." National Women's History Museum. Phillis Wheatley (May 8, 1753 – December 5, 1784) was a poet.She was the first African-American person to have a book published. Though she continued writing, fewer than five new poems were published after her marriage. In addition to making an important contribution to American literature, Wheatley’s literary and artistic talents helped show that African Americans were equally capable, creative, intelligent human beings who benefited from an education. This poem is a real-life account of Wheatley’s experiences. When her book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, appeared, she became the first American slave, the first person of African descent, and only the third colonial American woman to have her work published. The Underground Railroad was formed in the early 19th century and reached its height between 1850 and 1860. Close Reading for Civic Education. Phillis Wheatley, as illustrated by Scipio Moorhead in the Frontispiece to her book Poems on Various Subjects #2 Wheatley was named after the slave ship that brought her to U.S. She was sold to John Wheatley, a wealthy Boston merchant and tailor, who bought her as a servant for his wife Susanna. Here is a list of a few of the most prominent supporters of the UR. She was treated kindly in the Wheatley household, almost as a third child. In 1778 she married John Peters, a free black man who eventually abandoned her. The Wheatley family educated her and within sixteen months of her arrival in America she could read the Bible, Greek and Latin classics, and British literature. ", Representación con Guión: Latinas en la Lucha por el Sufragio Femenino, Red Power Prevails : The Activism, Spirit, and Resistance of Native American Women, Chronicles of American Women: Your History Makers, Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project, Learning Resources on Women's Political Participation. Wheatley died in December 1784, due to complications from childbirth. Accessed February 10, 2015. A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Her first book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, where many of her poems first saw print, was published there the same year.Wheatley’s personal qualities, even more than her literary talent, contributed to her great social success in London. Much of what we know today comes from accounts after the Civil War and accurate statistics about fugitive slaves using the Underground Railway may never be verifiable. Phillis was escorted by the Wheatleys’ son to London in May 1773. Enslavers and abolitionists both read her work; the former to convince the enslaved population to convert, the latter as proof of the intellectual abilities of people of color. Though Wheatley generally avoided the topic of slavery in her poetry, her best-known work, “On Being Brought from Africa to America” (written 1768), contains a mild rebuke toward some white readers: “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain / May be refined, and join th’ angelic train.” Other notable poems include “To the University of Cambridge, in New England” (written 1767), “To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty” (written 1768), and “On the Death of Rev. Tags: African American history, Civil Rights Movement, poetry, short stories, slavery. Two books issued posthumously were Memoir and Poems of Phillis Wheatley (1834)—in which Margaretta Matilda Odell, a collateral descendant of Susanna Wheatley, provides a short biography of Phillis as a preface to a collection of her poems—and Letters of Phillis Wheatley, the Negro Slave-Poet of Boston (1864). Influential colonists read Wheatley’s poems and lauded her talent. Although she supported the patriots during the American Revolution, Wheatley’s opposition to slavery heightened. Samuel Wright, ‘Address to Slavery’. Forward Into Light: How Women Are Reshaping Politics and Power, Una historia del compromiso y la experiencia política bicultural de las latinas en los Estados Unidos, Explore the contributions of Native American women in the formation and activism of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Women of All Red Nations (WARN), We’ll never share your email with anyone else. She is best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style. Wheatley’s first poem to appear in print was “On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin” (1767), but she did not become widely known until the publication of “An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of the Celebrated Divine…George Whitefield” (1770), a tribute to Whitefield, a popular preacher with whom she may have been personally acquainted. Religion was also a key influence, and it led Protestants in America and England to enjoy her work. Slavery and Freedom Medium ink on paper with leather and wood Dimensions 7 x 4 3/4 x 5/8 in. Take advantage of our Presidents' Day bonus! “Phillis Wheatley.” Library of Congress, March 1, 2012. At age fourteen, Wheatley began to write poetry, publishing her first poem in 1767. From overcoming oppression, to breaking rules, to reimagining the world or waging a rebellion, these women of history have a story to tell. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phillis-Wheatley, National Women's History Museum - Biography of Phillis Wheatley, Public Broadcasting Service - Africans in America - Biography of Phillis Wheatley, Academy of American Poets - Biography of Phillis Wheatley, Poetry Foundation - Biography of Phillis Wheatley, Social Studies for Kids - Biography of Phillis Wheatley, BlackPast - Biography of Phillis Wheatley, Phillis Wheatley - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Phillis Wheatley - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Wheatley, Phillis: “To the University of Cambridge, in New England”, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, “On Being Brought from Africa to America”, “An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of the Celebrated Divine…George Whitefield”, “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral”. During the peak of her writing career, she wrote a well-received poem praising the appointment of George Washington as the commander of the Continental Army. Phillis Wheatley was a revolutionary intellectual who waged a war for freedom with her words. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Upon arrival, she was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston, Massachusetts. At the end of her life Wheatley was working as a servant, and she died in poverty. The Wheatleys soon recognized her talents and gave her privileges unusual for a slave, allowing her to learn to read and write. “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” by Phillis Wheatley (1773) No book during the Revolutionary era stirred more debates over slavery than this first-ever book by an African-American woman. Beginning in the pre-Revolutionary War period, African American writers have engaged in a creative, if often contentious, dialogue with American letters. Corrections? Wheatley’s poems reflected several influences on her life, among them the well-known poets she studied, such as Alexander Pope and Thomas Gray. Omissions? Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784? Beginning in her early teens she wrote exceptionally mature, if conventional, verse that was stylistically influenced by Neoclassical poets such as Alexander Pope and was largely concerned with morality, piety, and freedom. She went on to publish poems such as "On Being Brought from Africa to America" and "On Virtue." She returned to Boston in September because of the illness of her mistress. Phillis was escorted by the Wheatleys’ son to London in May 1773. The poem “To the University of Cambridge, in New England” by Phillis Wheatley. MLA - Michals, Debra. The consequence could be jail or a hefty fine. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In part, this helped the cause of the abolition movement. National Women's History Museum, 2015. Despite spending much of her life enslaved, Phillis Wheatley was the first African American and second woman (after Anne Bradstreet) to publish a book of poems. Upon arrival, she was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston, Massachusetts. African American literature, body of literature written by Americans of African descent. She was the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry and was brought to America and enslaved in 1761. Phillis Wheatley Peters was the first African American to publish a volume of poetry. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 made it more dangerous for those who helped slaves escape or offered them shelter. It was called "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral." She wrote several letters to ministers and others on liberty and freedom. …universal brotherhood of humanity, African-born. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. At age fourteen, Wheatley began to write poetry, publishing her first poem in 1767. The young girl who was to become Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped and taken to Boston on a slave ship in 1761 and purchased by a tailor, John Wheatley, as a personal servant for his wife, Susanna. Dr. Sewall” (written 1769). This lesson provides an insight into the rhetoric and social action of Fannie Lou Hamer. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of which are recognized by Regular Masonic jurisdictions, and those under the jurisdiction of the National Grand Lodge. The Underground Railroad (UR) reached its height between 1850 and 1860. Poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar, Maya Angelou is a world-famous author. Efforts to publish a second book of poems failed. In 1773, Phillis Wheatley accomplished something that no other woman of her status had done. The Wheatley family educated her and within sixteen months of her arrival in America she could read the Bible, Greek and Latin classics, and British literature. She was born in West Africa.It is not known which country she was born in. Wheatley’s work was frequently cited by abolitionists to combat the charge of innate intellectual inferiority among blacks and to promote educational opportunities for African Americans.