Black History Month: 11 October 2020
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American and the second woman to ever publish a book of poems. She first began to write poetry when she was fourteen and published her first poem in 1767. However, it was with her publication of 'An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of the Celebrated Divine George Whitefield' in 1770 that brought her great fame. Wheatley travelled to London in 1773 to publish her first collection of poems, 'Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral' which became the first book written by a black woman in America. Shortly afterwards, she was emancipated from her role as a slave for the Wheatley family.
Her many poems reflected several influences in her life, including well-known poets that she studied, pride in her African heritage, and religion, leading Protestants in both America and England to enjoy her work. Wheatley's opposition to slavery was evident in her several letters to ministers and others about liberty and freedom. Although she praised George Washington in a well-received poem, she believed that slavery was the issue that prevented colonists from achieving true heroism. In December 1784, Wheatley died, due to complications from childbirth. Her literary and artistic talents helped to show that African Americans were equally capable, creative and intelligent and benefited from education, aiding the abolition movement.
Want to find out more about Phillis Wheatley? Click here for more information, or here to read her poem 'On Being Brought from Africa to America'.
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