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Phillis Wheatley Introduction

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Phillis Wheatley was a powerful African American poet that became the first African American woman to publish a book of poems. Wheatley was a pioneer of her time, beginning her life as a young enslaved woman that would eventually buy her freedom with the money that she earned from her poetry. Wheatley published her first poem, "On Messrs Hussey and Coffin", at the young age of fourteen in 1767, and society truly began to take notice of Phillis Wheatley and her immense talent with her publication of "An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of the Celebrated Divine George Whitefield" in 1770 (Shields 2012)("Phillis Wheatley" 2020). Phillis Wheatley began her life in American enslaved by John Wheatley and his family at the age of seven, when she was kidnapped from her home, Gambia, Africa and brought to the America to be sold into slave labor. John Wheatley, a merchant, saw young Phillis as the perfect gift for his wife, and immediately purchased her, stripping her of her pervious identity and implanted a new one on her that fit to his liking (Shields 2012). Although she was enslaved by the Wheatley family, they did provide her with an education, which lead to the discovery of her beautiful talent and the continued development of her craft. 

Wheatley's poems centered around prominent themes that she experienced in her own life and encapsulated the struggles that Wheatley faced, as an African American woman stolen from her home, living among a white family that bought her and enforced and educated her with their ideals. Although it is not explicitly stated in her poems, it seems that Wheatley struggles with her identity as a African American woman and how it intersected and contrasted with her experiences in America and living with Wheatley family, leaning into Christianity and inciting discussions surrounding race and racial freedom (Shields 2012)("Phillis Wheatley" 2020). Her work, originally published in London, found its way to the colonies and was enjoyed and consumed by both slave owners and abolitionists("Phillis Wheatley" 2020). Wheatley is one of the founding writers who influenced and helped to create African American literature in America and created a long lasting and impressive legacy. We will explore Phillis Wheatley's life coming to the colonies, her experiences with the Wheatley family and the education she received. 

This page has paths:

  1. Phillis Wheatley Samantha Rusnak

This page has tags:

  1. Education Chloe Wilson
  2. Religion Alyse Greenbaum
  3. Enslavement Matthew Peterson