Phillis Wheatley

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

Return to the Encyclopedia of Prominent African Americans.