Believed to have been born in the Senegambia area in West Africa around 1753, Phillis Wheatley became the first African American (and third) woman poet in the United States. She was named after Phillis, the slave ship with which she was kidnapped and taken to Boston. In 1761, John Wheatley and his wife, purchased her with a trifle as she was believed to be “terminally ill.” Although she was not entirely excused from her duties, the Wheatleys’ taught Phillis to read and write in English, Greek and Latin. Leading her to publish her first poem at the age of thirteen. She published her first book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in May 1773 in England and was freed later that year. According to Britannica her poems were highly influenced by the Neoclassical poets and were concerned with “morality, piety, and freedom” and mostly addressed to prominent figures such as Benjamin Franklin. In her poem, “To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth” she mentions how she was snatched from Africa and her family and how makes it known that the custom of slavery is cruel and tyrannical. Her best known work, “On Being Brought from Africa to America”, advocates for those of African descent to be acknowledged as being part of the body of Christ and considers it mercy to have been brought to America. She married John Peters, a free black man in November 1778. While there are claims she had three children who died young, no official records exist, her husband later abandoned her. Unfortunately, she published only five poems after the deaths of the Wheatley’s whom she had stayed with even after being freed. She spent her last days as an impoverished servant until her death in December 1784. (293)
Sources:
"Phillis Wheatley." Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley
"Phillis Wheatley."Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phillis-Wheatley
Carretta, Vincent ."Phillis Wheatley." Oxford Bibliographies, https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780190280024/obo-9780190280024-0004.xml