Phillis Wheatley Cover

Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa in 1753. As a young girl, she was kidnapped and taken to Boston, Massachusetts, on a slave ship called Phillis. John and Susanna Wheatley bought her and named her after the ship. Unlike many people enslaved in the colonies, the Wheatleys gave Phillis the tools to learn reading and writing. She quickly mastered English and published her first collection, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in 1773, which showcased her impressive mastery of various poetic forms, including hymns, elegies, and narrative verse, and secured her place in history as the first person of African descent in the U.S. to publish a book of poetry. She went on to correspond with figures such as George Washington, who praised her poetic talent. Phillis died December 5, 1784.