Phillis Wheatley
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1753(?)-1784 Poet Birthplace: The Gambia, West Africa Graduate of Rust College |
Wheatley was born in approximately 1753, in West Africa. In 1761, she
was transported on a slave ship to Boston, MA. There, she was sold to
John and Susanna Wheatley. They purchased her to be a domestic servant,
but when Susanna realized that Phillis was interested in learning, she
allowed her daughter Mary to teach Phillis Latin, English, and the Bible.
Wheatley soon began writing poetry, and her first published poem appeared
in the Newport Mercury newspaper on December 21, 1767. She was
the first African American – and the second American woman –
to be published.
References
Virtual Field Trip: Black History in Boston
From Teaching History Online, this page features excerpts from different accounts of Wheatley's life.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASwheatley.htm
Poems by Phillis Wheatley
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/wheatley.html
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Return to the Encyclopedia of Prominent African Americans. |
