Phillis Wheatley Peters first Published Enslaved African Poet

Phillis Wheatley Peters (c. 1753-54 – December 5, 1784) was born in West Africa (present day Gambia or Senegal), captured as a child, and sold to a slave trader who transported her to Boston where she was purchased by John Wheatley. She was more fortunate than the vast majority of enslaved Africans in that she was tutored by members of the family that had bought her, and they recognized her literacy skills. They even brought her to London, where she met well-to-do patrons and got to see the publication of her book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. She is considered to be the first published enslaved African poet in North America, as well as its first enslaved African female poet.

Later she was emancipated, after the publication of her book, married a freed man who worked as a grocer, and died at the age of 31 in poverty.

She has become more than a footnote in United States history, due to her astonishing writing skills. Use a search engine and you will find quite a bit about her. Type “Teaching about Phillis Wheatley In Schools” to access lesson plans and teacher resources from several websites, including Poets.org, LessonPlanet, PBS and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Thus children and adults today can read, study and appreciate the works of Phillis Wheatley. Along with the engraved portrait of her sitting at a table, with pen and paper, we can get a sense of her personality and life.

But she was also a slave for much of her life. And as a slave and a poet, was she also exploited by her owners? Was she paraded around as a prodigy? Did she bring the Wheatley family fame? Then again, they could have avoided teaching her to read and write. They could have not given her the time and space to write poetry and letters of correspondence.

Did the Wheatley family open doors for her? Yes. Did the Wheatley family also own her, as a possession? Yes.

Phillis Wheatley Peters should be studied for her literary output, but also for her curious status. She occupies a strange and even unsettling place in United States history and literature.

Photo: Phyllis Wheatley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons