Poet Spotlight: Phillis Wheatley


The world is made much better by poetry from the likes of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and W. E. B. Du Bois. However, the true pioneer of African American poetry is Phillis Wheatley, a slave from Boston, Massachusetts, who became the first African American and the third American woman to be published.

Wheatley came to America by way of Boston after being seized from her hometown in West Africa at only seven years old. In 1761, she was purchased by prominent Boston tailor John Wheatley to serve as an assistant to his wife, Susanna. Sensing that the little girl was smart, Susanna and her two children taught Wheatley how to read and write, and she soon expanded her education to include a wide variety of subjects, including astronomy, geography, and literature. This was an experience unusual for a slave girl in the 18th century.

Her work was first published on December 21, 1767, in the Newport Mercury. The poem, called “On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin,” was a piece she wrote after hearing the story of survival at sea. She had a collection of 28 poems by the age of 18, published across different Boston newspapers. She gained international recognition after the publication of “Whitefield Elegy,” which was published along with Ebenezer Pemberton’s funeral sermon. Since no one in America wanted to publish her poetry, he forwarded the elegy to Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, who supported evangelical and abolitionist causes. The bookseller Archibald Bell was instructed by the countess to correspond with Wheatley to publish the collection.

On arrival to London, Wheatley was welcomed by dignitaries, including the Earl of Dartmouth, John Thornton, and Benjamin Franklin. By 1773, the first edition of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was already circulating. It was the first volume of poetry written by an African American, and it contained a preface from 17 Boston men certifying Wheatley’s authorship. Poems on Various Subjects contained elegies, couplets, as well as translations and pieces that commented on slavery.

Wheatley’s life changed significantly after returning to Boston following promotions of her book in London. Several of the Wheatley family members, including her patroness, Susanna, died within the next few years of her return.

In 1778, she married a free African American man, John Peters, and took his name. The couple had issues with their marriage, complicated by a constant state of poverty and the death of three of their children in infancy. Wheatley had to work as a maid in a boarding house and live in terrible conditions.

Wheatley continued to write but was unable to find support to publish a second volume of poetry. The Revolutionary War had affected the public’s view of her poetry. In her early thirties, she passed away in Boston, Massachusetts. Her widowed husband was then jailed for being unable to pay debts.

Wheatley’s poetry became a popular topic for critical study in the following centuries. She is said to have written 145 poems, most of which have been lost. Some letters she wrote to various political and religious leaders in search for support for her work were found. Critics from the early 20th century pointed out the supposed lack of concern that Wheatley had for slavery. Later on, scholars noticed her use of biblical allusions as symbolisms against slavery. Today, Wheatley’s work is noted for its use of classicism and biblical allusion to comment about slavery.

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