Wheatley, Phillis - Timeline Biography
Time Period
1753 - 1784
Description
Phillis Wheatley was brought to Boston on a slave ship in 1761 and sold to the Wheatley family. Within 16 months, her owners noticed her intelligence and taught her to read and write. In addition to classical literature, she was encouraged to read the Bible and subsequently learned to interpret some of the most difficult biblical passages.
Soon, Wheatley began to write her own poetry and became the first published African-American female poet. Influenced by the First Great Awakening, most of her poems were religious and centered around education, virtue and redemption through Christ. Her first known poem ("To the University of Cambridge," 1767) urged college students to avoid immorality. After publishing a praise of George Whitefield in 1770, she published her first and only book in 1773 entitled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.
Her sophisticated poetry countered stereotypes of blacks as subhuman and aided abolitionists, who sought to highlight the great capabilities of African-Americans.
Soon, Wheatley began to write her own poetry and became the first published African-American female poet. Influenced by the First Great Awakening, most of her poems were religious and centered around education, virtue and redemption through Christ. Her first known poem ("To the University of Cambridge," 1767) urged college students to avoid immorality. After publishing a praise of George Whitefield in 1770, she published her first and only book in 1773 entitled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.
Her sophisticated poetry countered stereotypes of blacks as subhuman and aided abolitionists, who sought to highlight the great capabilities of African-Americans.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Timeline Entries for the same religious group: Congregationalists (UCC)Congregationalists (UCC): Other ARDA Links
Congregationalists (UCC): Religious Family Tree
Photographs
Phillis Wheatley portrait- Wikimedia Commons
Phillis Wheatley portrait- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, title page- Internet Archive
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Phillis Wheatley statue- Flickr- photo by Lorianne DiSabato (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Book/Journal Source(s)
Murphy, Larry, J. Gordon Melton, and Gary Ward, 1993. Encyclopedia of African American Religions New York: Garland.Reid, Daniel, Robert Linder, Bruce Shelley, and Harry Stout, 1990. Dictionary of Christianity in America Downers Grove, IL.
Web Page Contributor
Benjamin T. GurrentzAffliated with: Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in Sociology
