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Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley, the first African American poet, overcame slavery and adversity to achieve literary acclaim in 18th century America. Stolen from Africa as a child, she rose to prominence through her talent and perseverance, with her poems on various subjects published in London. Despite personal tragedies, she left an enduring legacy through her powerful words.

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Phillis Wheatley

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  1. Phillis Wheatley 1753-1784

  2. Known as the 1st African American poet. • Was stolen from her home in West Africa when she was 7 or 8 years old. • Arrived in America onboard a slaveship in 1761. She spoke no English.

  3. She was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston to assist Mrs. Susanna Wheatley. • She was treated kindly by the Wheatleys. • Because she was so bright, the Wheatleys provided her with an excellent education.

  4. Had her 1st poems published when she was barely 13. • Susanna Wheatley arranged for a volume of Phillis’s poems to be published in London in 1773. The book was called Poems on Various Subjects: Religious and Moral.

  5. Around this time, the Wheatleys gave Phillis her freedom, but she chose to stay with them. • After they died, she married John Peters, a freeman, in 1778. • They had three children, but none survived. • John had trouble finding work and was eventually put in prison over a debt.

  6. Phillis got sick herself and died in her early thirties—poor, alone and without publishing another book of poems.

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