Phillis Wheatley
Biography
Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753–1784) was an enslaved African American woman who became the first published African American poet and one of the first published American women poets. Born in West Africa, she was kidnapped, transported on a slave ship, and purchased at age seven or eight by John Wheatley of Boston, who named her after the slave ship Phillis. The Wheatley family educated her, an extraordinary and rare act for enslavers, and Phillis demonstrated remarkable intellectual gifts, learning English, Latin, Greek, and studying the classics within sixteen months of her arrival. She published her first poem at age thirteen and her only book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773), in London after Boston publishers refused to print a book by an enslaved Black woman. The volume’s publication required a signed attestation from eighteen prominent Boston men confirming that an enslaved African had indeed written the poems. Wheatley was freed shortly after publication. Her later years were marked by poverty and hardship; she died at thirty-one, her second manuscript lost to history. Wheatley’s achievement remains one of the most remarkable in American literary history.
Common themes in Phillis Wheatley's work
African American Literary History
A recurring theme throughout Phillis Wheatley's writing.
Poetry and Slavery
A recurring theme throughout Phillis Wheatley's writing.
Women’s Writing
A recurring theme throughout Phillis Wheatley's writing.
Colonial American Literature
A recurring theme throughout Phillis Wheatley's writing.
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Why Phillis Wheatley is still read today
Wheatley’s poetry represents a foundational moment in African American and American literary history. Her achievement—mastering Western literary forms while enslaved—challenged racist ideologies of her era and continues to provoke important discussions about race, genius, and the conditions under which art is created.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Phillis Wheatley?
Wheatley was an enslaved African American who became the first published Black American poet, a landmark achievement in American literary history. Read her poems free on TextStack.
Why was Wheatley’s publication remarkable?
An enslaved African woman publishing a book of poetry in 1773 was so unprecedented that eighteen prominent Bostonians had to sign an attestation confirming she wrote the poems.
What happened to Wheatley after publication?
She was freed but lived in poverty. She married, had three children (all died young), and died at thirty-one. A second manuscript was lost to history.
Where can I read Wheatley?
You can read Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral for free on TextStack—the groundbreaking collection that made literary history.
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