Did you know?...
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. She was born in West Africa and sold into slavery at the age of seven or eight. She was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston. The Wheatleys encouraged her to read and write, and encouraged her poetry when they took note of her talent. In 1768, Wheatley wrote “To The King’s Most Excellent Majesty,” in which she praised King George III for repealing the Stamp Act. In 1770, she gained significant acclaim for her poetic tribute to evangelist George Whitefield.
Many colonists were skeptical that an African slave was writing “excellent” poetry. Wheatley was forced to defend her authorship in court in 1772. After being examined by a group of Boston luminaries, including John Erving, John Hancock, and Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson, and Lieutenant Governor Andrew Oliver, it was concluded that she had written the poems ascribed to her. After the publication of her book, Poems on Various Subjects, in 1773, Wheatley was emancipated. She was honored by many of America’s founding fathers, including George Washington. She married in 1778.
-from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
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