Phillis Wheatley

Hello! My name is Phillis Wheatley. I was born in a place called West Africa around the year 1753. When I was about seven years old, I was brought on a big ship across the ocean to a city called Boston. A kind family, the Wheatleys, took me into their home. They gave me my name, Phillis, which was the name of the ship that brought me to America.

The Wheatleys' daughter, Mary, saw how curious I was. She taught me how to read and write, which was very unusual for a girl like me at that time. I loved learning! I read every book I could find. Soon, I was learning other languages like Latin. When I was about 12 years old, I started writing my own poems about the world around me.

I wrote and wrote until I had a whole collection of poems. I dreamed of having them published in a book for everyone to read. But some people didn't believe that I, a young Black woman, could write them. In 1772, I had to prove to a group of important men that the poems were truly mine. The next year, in 1773, I traveled all the way to London, England, and my book, 'Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,' was published! I was the first African American person to ever publish a book of poetry.

After my book was published in 1773, I was given my freedom. During this time, America was fighting for its own freedom in the Revolutionary War. I wrote a poem for the leader of the army, George Washington, in 1775. He loved it so much that he wrote back to me and even invited me to come and visit him! A few years later, I got married to a man named John Peters.

I lived to be 31 years old. Even though my life was not very long, my words have lasted for hundreds of years. People remember me today as one of the first great American poets. My story shows that a love for learning and a powerful voice can help you do amazing things, no matter where you start in life.