Phillis Wheatley Arrives in Boston
On this day in 1761, a girl from West Africa arrived in Boston, enslaved with 74 other people on the ship Phillis. John Wheatley, a successful merchant, purchased her and named her Phillis, after the vessel that had brought her across the Atlantic. The family soon discovered that Phillis was an exceptional child. Their daughter taught her to read the Bible and later English, Latin, and Greek classics. Phillis Wheatley's first poem was published in 1767; she was about 14 years old. When a London publisher issued a book of her verse in 1773, she became the first African in America to have a book of poetry published. In spite of this early success, she died poor and unknown in 1784.
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