Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley (1753 – December 5, 1784) was the first African American female writer to be published in the United States. Her book Poems on Various Subjects was published in 1773, two years before the American Revolutionary War began, and is seen as one of the first examples of African American literature.
Early years
Born in what is the modern day Senegal which was Gambia, Africa, Wheatley was captured by Africans and sold into slavery at the age of 7. She was brought to Boston, Massachusetts in 1761, where John Wheatley purchased her and where she adopted the Christian faith. The family of merchants made sure that she received a good education, including study of foreign languages such as Latin,and history. Her owners, the Wheatleys, taught her how to write, and from then on she began to write poems. She published her first poem in 1767 in the Newport Mercury. She became the first African American woman to have a book published when her "Poems on Various Subjects" was published in 1773.
Poetry
In 1770 Wheatley wrote a poetic tribute to George Whitefield that received widespread acclaim. Wheatley's poetry overwhelmingly revolves around Christian themes, with many poems dedicated to famous personalities. Over one-third consist of elegies, the remainder being on religious, classical and abstract themes[1]. She rarely mentions her own situation in her poems. One of the few which refers to slavery is "On being brought from Africa to America":
- `Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
"Their colour is a diabolic dye."
Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,
May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.´
Because many white people of the time found it hard to believe that a black woman could be so intelligent as to write poetry, in 1772 Wheatley had to defend her literary ability in court. She was examined by a group of Boston luminaries including John Erving, Reverend Charles Chauncey, John Hancock, Thomas Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, and his Lieutenant Governor Andrew Oliver. They concluded that she had in fact written the poems ascribed to her and signed an attestation which was published in the preface to her book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral published in Aldgate, London in 1773. The book was published in London because publishers in Boston had refused to publish the text. Wheatley and her master's son, Nathanial Wheatley, went to London, where Selina, Countess of Huntingdon and the Earl of Dartmouth helped with the publication.
Wheatley is credited with simultaneously founding two literary genres: Black American literature and Black Women literature.
In 1778, African American poet Jupiter Hammon wrote an ode to Wheatley. Hammon never mentions himself in the poem, but it appears that in choosing Wheatley as a subject, he was acknowledging their common bond.
Later years
After the death of the Wheatley family, Wheatley married a free black grocer named John Peters. Her husband soon left her and Wheatley earned a living as a servant. She died in poverty at the age of 31. Wheatley's third child died only a few hours after her death. At the time of her death, there was a second volume of poetry but neither it nor any other works of hers have ever been seen.
Writings
- An Elegy, Sacred to the Memory of the Great Divine, the Reverend and Learned Dr. Samuel Cooper, Who Departed This Life December 29, 1783
- Memoir and Poems of Phillis Wheatley, a Native African and Slave (Boston: Published by Geo. W. Light, 1834), also by Margaretta Matilda Odell
- Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral Published in 1773
- To His Excellency George Washington written for Washington in 1776
See also
- Slave narrative
- African American literature
- Jupiter Hammon
External links
- Works by Phillis Wheatley. Project Gutenberg
- Phillis Wheatley at the Open Directory Project
- JMU site with her poems
- Jupiter Hammon's Poem to Phillis Wheatley
- Power Writers
- A Geo-Biography of Phillis Wheatley on Google Earth
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Abcarian, Richard and Marvin Klotz. "Phyllis Wheatley." In Literature: The Human Experience, 9th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006: 1606.
- Cashmore, E. "Review of the Norton Anthology of African-American Literature" New Statesman, April 25, 1997.
- Gates, H. The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters With the Founding Fathers Basic Civitas Books, 2003
- Shockley, Ann Allen, Afro-American Women Writers 1746-1933: An Anthology and Critical Guide, New Haven, Connecticut: Meridian Books, 1989. ISBN 0-452-00981-2
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
