African-American Studies

Phillis Wheatley was an American Poet who had initially been a slave brought from West Africa during the 18th Century. She was educated unlike other slaves with the aid of her owners who bought her when she arrived in America in 1761. She eventually started writing poetry which is famous for. This essay will give a biography about her life as well as recount her historical moments, why she is important to learn about and her greatest contributions. 

Biography 

 Phillis Wheatleys actual date of birth is not known but it is estimated to be either 1753 or 1754, in Senegal. It is however asserted that she certainly arrived as a slave in New England in 1761 and bought by John Whitley, from whom she adopted the surname,as a present for his spouse Susanna. She portrayed early maturity whereby she learnt the English language in sixteen months as stated by her biographer, William H. Robinson. She obtained the basics of education and became familiar with the Bible as well as various forms of literature including Latin and Greek. The Boston society received her warmly especially due to the fact that she was an educated slave which was rare in those times. (Bloom 1996, 234).

A significant moment occurred when Phillis was fourteen years old. She became a published poet in 1767. This was inspired by two survivors of a wrecked ship that was heading to Boston, who were having a meal at the Wheatley residence. She overheard their narration of the events that took place and imagined herself in the ship and the emotions she would possess while there and wrote the poem titled On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin The poem later was printed by A Rhode Island Newspaper. (Gregson 2001, 14).

Poetry was what she liked most of all her studies. She started writing them when she was twelve years old. They were mostly elegies honoring people who had died as well as experiences in the world around her such as the poem On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin (Salas 2006, 12).

It is also stated that Phillis acquired notice due to the elegy she wrote about the popular evangelist George Whitefield in 1770 but it was in 1773 that her status as a poet became solidified with the publication Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Prior to its publication, she had been received with fascination and generosity by Countess Huntingdon in London. (Bloom 1996, 234).

Phillis Wheatley is an important person to learn about since she was a unique person who was the first educated slave from Africa to learn the English language in a period of sixteen months. She was a person who learnt quickly. It is stated that she was educated than most people, black or white (Salas 2006, 10). She wrote various poems from a young age that were recognized even in Europe. She also contributed to the educational society by writing a poem that urged students to be serious in school. It was titled To the University of Cambridge, in New-England in 1767 (Salas 2006, 12-13).