Phillis Wheatley, whose original name went unrecorded and therefore is forgotten, was born in West Africa, possibly in the area of modern Senegal. She was around eight years old when she was abducted by slavers and transported to America, where she was sold to the Wheatley family. She was named for the ship she was transported on. Wheatley was a merchant who bought her as a companion for his wife. Despite buying a slave, the family was very progressive for the time, and taught Phillis how to read and write. At the age of about 14, she wrote her first poem. The Wheatleys, delighted by her writing, encouraged her to continue. She was after this excluded from housework, and encouraged to continue to write. They also invited friends over to see her and hear her poetry. In an attempt to get some of her poetry published, and in an attempt to improve her health, Mr Wheatley accompanied her to London. There they spent time with many who found her talent shocking and amazing. She was also scheduled for an audience with King George III, but they returned to Boston before they were able to meet with him. In 1773, a book of her poetry was published. After this, the Wheatley family emancipated her. Phillis eventually met and married John Peters, a free Black grocer in the area. They struggled to make ends meet, and Phillis attempted to publish a book of poetry to help their financial situation, but had no luck. Her husband was soon sent to debtor's prison, and Phillis, who had an infant child, attempted to make money doing housework. Her health declined rapidly, and in 1784 at about the age of 31, she died. Her infant son died soon after. She is remembered as one of the first female poets of the United States, and the first Black woman to publish any writing.
Sources:
- Wikipedia: Phillis Wheatley
- Britannica: Phillis Wheatley
- PBS: Phillis Wheatley
- Phillis is Enslaved by the Wheatley Family
- Phyllis Wheatley (1753-1784): The First Published African-American Poet
- Wheatley, Phillis
- Black History: Phillis Wheatley, poet and slave
- Ms Phillis Wheatley
- On Phillis Wheatley
- Phillis Wheatley: Her Life, Poetry, and Legacy
- Phillis Wheatley
- Phillis Wheatley
- Phillis Wheatley
This shows you exactly the problems inherent in the system. Even with a "good" family, Phillis had been torn from her family, from her land, and then sold to people. They seemed kind to her, but they also showed her off like a dog that had learned to walk on its hind legs. Nothing about her life after freedom had been happy, aside from falling in love and marrying. And her health was almost certainly affected by the voyage she'd been forced to go on by slavers. It's wonderful that we have her in her own words, but it's hard not to see the problems caused by slavery in her life. She deserved better.
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