Phyllis Wheatley essays

Phyllis Wheatley essays Our American history is composed of a great deal of historical events and individuals. Phyllis Wheatley is one young woman who greatly contributed to history and holds a valuable spot in it. Phyllis Wheatley was born in West Africa, present day Senegal, in 1753. She remained there until she was captured and brought to the American colonies at the age of seven. In Boston, Massachusetts she was sold to a wealthy merchant, John Wheatley, and his wife Susannah. Mary Wheatley, the daughter of the family helped guide Phyllis to learn how to read and write and Phyllis was eventually literate and even knew how to speak Latin and Greek. This was very rare because slaves werent usually offered any type of education. Impressed by her achievements and her clearly evident intelligence, the Wheatleys encouraged Phyllis to continue expanding her knowledge and kept her workload rather light. Soon Phyllis level of education was higher than that of an upper-class colonial man. She was accepted as a member of the family rather than just considered as a slave. At the age of 13, Phyllis wrote her first poem about a tale of two men who came close to dying at sea and their faith in God. The publication of that poem in the Newport Mercury as well as an elegy she wrote about George Whitefield boosted her popularity and credibility. By 1773, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious, and Moral was published in London and included 39 of her poems. Upon taking a trip to England with the Wheatleys son, Nathaniel, she was immediately recognized and caused a sensation. When Phyllis returned back to America after hearing that Susannah Wheatley was very ill, the family she was raised by began to slowly fall apart. Susannah Wheatley passed away the following spring of 1776 and John Wheatley also passed away a few years later in 1778. This granted Phyllis technical freedom and the chance to live her own life. ...