Phyllis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley (c.1753–1784) was America’s first published Black poet and one of the most remarkable women of the eighteenth century. Enslaved as a child, she rose to literary prominence through her faith, intelligence, and extraordinary gift with words—using poetry to glorify God and affirm the dignity of all people created in His image.
Phillis was born around 1753 in West Africa, likely in modern-day Senegal or Gambia. At the age of seven or eight, she was captured and sold into slavery. In 1761, she arrived in Boston aboard the slave ship Phillis, from which she took her name. Purchased by John and Susanna Wheatley, she became a servant in their home—but her story would unfold in a way no one could have imagined.
The Wheatleys soon noticed the young girl’s sharp intelligence and gentle spirit. Susanna taught her to read and write, and within a few years, Phillis had mastered English, Latin, Greek, and the Bible. By her early teens, she was reading the classics and composing poetry that reflected both her Christian faith and her keen understanding of the world.
Her first published poem appeared in 1767, and by 1773, a full collection titled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was printed in London—making Phillis Wheatley the first African American woman ever to publish a book of poetry. The collection amazed readers across Europe and America. Her verses displayed elegance, intellect, and profound spiritual insight. In an age that doubted the humanity and intellect of enslaved Africans, Phillis’s work became undeniable proof of both.
Many of her poems expressed deep devotion to Christ and gratitude for the transforming power of grace. In one of her most famous works, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” she wrote:
“’Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there’s a God, that there’s a Savior too;
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.”
Though she spoke of her conversion with humility, Phillis also subtly confronted the hypocrisy of Christian slaveholders, reminding them that “Negroes, black as Cain, may be refined, and join th’ angelic train.” Her words called both believers and her nation to live up to the truths they professed.
Phillis’s poetry gained her audiences with some of the most prominent figures of her time. George Washington praised her writing and invited her to visit him at his camp. Voltaire and other European thinkers admired her intellect, and her book’s publication helped fuel early movements against slavery.
When John and Susanna Wheatley died, Phillis was freed from slavery but faced a life of hardship. She married a free Black man, John Peters, but they struggled financially, and she died in poverty in 1784 at only thirty-one years old.
Though her life was short, Phillis Wheatley’s legacy endures. She showed that faith in Christ could shine through even the darkest of circumstances and that the human soul, redeemed by God, can rise above every chain.
She once wrote, “While my body is enslaved, my soul is free.”
Through her poetry, that freedom still sings.