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Phillis Wheatley, as illustrated by Scipio Moorhead in the Frontispiece to her book Poems on Various Subjects.
Phillis Wheatley, as illustrated by Scipio Moorhead in the Frontispiece to her book Poems on Various Subjects. Scipio Moorhead (active c 1773) was an enslaved African American Artist who lived in Boston A frontispiece is an elaborate decorative Illustration that appears facing the Title page of the book

Phillis Wheatley (1753 – December 5, 1784) was the first published African American poet whose writings helped create the genre of African American literature. Year 1753 ( MDCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 1784 ( MDCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa African American literature is the body of Literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent [1] She was born in Gambia, Africa, and became a slave at age seven. She was purchased by the Boston Wheatley family, who taught her to read and write, and helped encouraged her poetry.

The 1773 publication of Wheatley's Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, brought her fame, with dignitaries such as George Washington praising her work. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Wheatley also toured England and was praised in a poem by fellow African American poet Jupiter Hammon. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Jupiter Hammon ( October 17, 1711 &ndash 1806 was a Black Poet who became the first published Black writer in America when a Wheatley was emancipated by her owners after her poetic success, but stayed with the Wheatley family until the death of her former master and the breakup of his family. Emancipation is a term used to describe various efforts to obtain Political rights or equality, often for a specifically Disenfranchised group or more She then married a free black man, who soon left her. She died in poverty in 1784 while working on a second book of poetry, which has now been lost. [2]

Contents

Early years

Phillis Wheatley's church, Old South Meeting House
Phillis Wheatley's church, Old South Meeting House

Born around 1753 in what is the modern day Senegal, Wheatley was kidnapped and taken to America in 1761 aboard a slave ship called "Phillis" (from which she received her name). The Old South Meeting House, in Boston, Massachusetts, gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, Senegal (le Sénégal officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the Sénégal River in western Africa. She was purchased in Boston by a wealthy merchant named John Wheatley and his family. Wheatleys both instructed her and encouraged her education,[3] including study of foreign languages such as Latin, and history. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Phillis Wheatley was tutored by the Wheatley’s son, Nathaniel, in English, Latin, history, geography, religion, and the Bible. Wheatley was baptized at Old South Meeting House. The Old South Meeting House, in Boston, Massachusetts, gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, [4]

Later years

Phillis’ popularity as a poet both in the United States and England ultimately brought her freedom from slavery on October 18, 1773. She appeared before General Washington in March, 1776 for her poetry and was a strong supporter of independence during the Revolutionary War. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"

After the death of the Wheatley family, she married a free black grocer named John Peters. Beginning as early as the 14th century a grocer (also called purveyor) was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices pepper sugar and (later cocoa tea and coffee This marriage produced three children, two of whom soon died. Her husband left her and Wheatley earned a living as a servant. A domestic worker, domestic, servingman, servingwoman, or servant is one who works and often also lives within the employer's household By 1784 she was living in a boarding house and, in December of that year, she and her remaining child died and were buried in an unmarked grave. 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.

Poetry

In 1768, Wheatley wrote "To the King's Most Excellent Majesty," in which she praised George III for repealing the Stamp Act. George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places A stamp act is a law enacted by a government that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents [5] However, as the American Revolution gained strength, Wheatley turned to writing about themes from the point of view of the colonists. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"

John Wheatley's grave in Granary Burying Ground. Phillis Wheatley's grave is unmarked
John Wheatley's grave in Granary Burying Ground. Founded in 1660 the Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street in Boston Massachusetts is the city's third-oldest cemetery Phillis Wheatley's grave is unmarked

In 1770 Wheatley wrote a poetic tribute to George Whitefield that received widespread acclaim. Year 1770 ( MDCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Friday Early life He was born at the Bell Inn Southgate Street Gloucester, England. 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. [6] 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. [7][8] 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. John Hancock ( October 8 1793 was a Massachusetts merchant and prominent patriot of the American Revolution. Thomas Hutchinson ( September 9 1711 June 3 1780) was the royal governor of Massachusetts from 1771 to 1774 and a prominent Andrew Oliver ( March 28, 1706 - March 3, 1774) was a Massachusetts politician 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. Aldgate was the easternmost gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the East End. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Year 1773 ( MDCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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. Selina Countess of Huntingdon ( August 24, 1707 &ndash June 17, 1791) was an English religious leader who played a prominent The title of Earl of Dartmouth was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1711 for William Legge 2nd Baron Dartmouth, who was then Secretary of State for

Through her poetry, Wheatley is credited with helping found African American literature. African American literature is the body of Literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent [9]

In 1778, African American poet Jupiter Hammon wrote an ode to Wheatley. Jupiter Hammon ( October 17, 1711 &ndash 1806 was a Black Poet who became the first published Black writer in America when a Ode (from the Ancient Greek) is a form of stately and elaborate lyrical verse. Hammon never mentions himself in the poem, but it appears that in choosing Wheatley as a subject, he was acknowledging their common bond.

Style

Wheatley wrote in the formal poetic style that was popular in her time,[10][11] often focusing on moral and religious subjects.

Recognition and legacy

Phillis Wheatley statue on Commonwealth Ave. in Boston as part of the Boston Women's Memorial
Phillis Wheatley statue on Commonwealth Ave. in Boston as part of the Boston Women's Memorial

With the 1774 publication of Wheatley's book Poems on Various Subjects, she "became the most famous African on the face of the earth, the Oprah Winfrey of her time. Commonwealth Avenue (colloquially referred to as Comm Ave by locals the latter word pronounced in the same manner as "have" is a major street in the cities of Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29 1954 often referred to simply as Oprah, is an American "[12] Voltaire wrote to a friend that Wheatley had proved that black people could write poetry. François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French John Paul Jones asked a fellow officer to deliver some of his personal writings to "Phillis the African favorite of the Nine (muses) and Apollo. John Paul Jones ( &ndash) was America's first well-known naval hero in the American Revolutionary War. "[13] She was also honored by many of America's founding fathers, including George Washington. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the

Wheatley's book is today seen as helping create the genre of African American literature. African American literature is the body of Literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent [14]

There is a building named in her honor at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The University of Massachusetts Boston is a major coeducational public research university located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Poems by Phillis Wheatley

Books

See also

References

  1. ^ The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers by Henry Louis Gates, Basic Civitas Books, 2003, page 5. The slave narrative is a literary form which grew out of the experience of enslaved Africans in Britain and the its colonies. African American literature is the body of Literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent Jupiter Hammon ( October 17, 1711 &ndash 1806 was a Black Poet who became the first published Black writer in America when a
  2. ^ Women's Political and Social Thought: An Anthology by Hilda L. Smith, Indiana University Press, 2000, page 123.
  3. ^ Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience by Henry Louis Gates and Anthony Appiah, Basic Civitas Books, 1999, page 1171.
  4. ^ PAL: Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784)
  5. ^ Women's Political and Social Thought: An Anthology by Hilda L. Smith, Indiana University Press, 2000, page 123.
  6. ^ Phillis Wheatley page, comments on Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, accessed Oct. 5, 2007
  7. ^ Ellis Cashmore, review of The Norton Anthology of African-American Literature, Nellie Y. McKay and Henry Louis Gates, eds. , New Statesman, April 25, 1997.
  8. ^ Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience by Henry Louis Gates and Anthony Appiah, Basic Civitas Books, 1999, page 1171.
  9. ^ Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience by Henry Louis Gates and Anthony Appiah, Basic Civitas Books, 1999, page 1171.
  10. ^ Women's Political and Social Thought: An Anthology by Hilda L. Smith, Indiana University Press, 2000, page 123.
  11. ^ Kathleen De Grave, Pittsburgh State University . "Phillis Wheatley." The Literary Encyclopedia. 26 Sep. 2006. The Literary Dictionary Company. 21 October 2007.
  12. ^ The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers by Henry Louis Gates, Basic Civitas Books, page 33.
  13. ^ The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers by Henry Louis Gates, Basic Civitas Books, page 33.
  14. ^ The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers by Henry Louis Gates, Basic Civitas Books, 2003, page 5.

Further reading

External links

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