Phillis Wheatley

First ever African-American female poet published, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped in West Africa when she was 8 years old and brought to Boston on a slave ship. There, she was purchased by a tailor called John Wheatley to be his wife’s servant. The Wheatleys acknowledged Phillis' talents and allowed her to learn to read and write. Her first book was published in London in 1773.

Classics

A Farewell to America

Phillis Wheatley

I.

Adieu, New-England's smiling meads,
Adieu, th' flow'ry plain:
I leave thine op'ning charms, O spring,
And tempt the roaring main.

II.

In vain for me the ... [+]

Classics

18th Century African American Literature 1 min

On Being Brought from Africa to America

Phillis Wheatley

'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 ou ... [+]

A New Kind of Literary Pulse

A New Kind of Literary Pulse

Phillis Wheatley

A Farewell to America

On Being Brought from Africa to America