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Phillis Wheatley Peters

(c. 1753 - 1784)

First African-American Author

Phillis Wheatley survived the trans-Atlantic slave trade and a childhood of enslavement in Boston. Her enslavers taught her to speak English, as well as to read and write. She proved to be a gifted student and linguist, becoming the first Black woman in the American colonies to publish a book. Her 1773 book Poems of Various Subjects, Religious and Moral drew local support and international acclaim. Her remarkably swift rise from enslaved child to published poet was capped by her early death at the age of 31. 

For additional information on Phillis Wheatley Peters, read our companion biography.

Image Credit

“Phillis Wheatley, Negro servant to Mr. John Wheatley, of Boston.” From the frontispiece to Phillis Wheatley's Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (London, 1773). Library of Congress.