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 Phillis Wheatley, Poetess

HILLIS WHEATLEY was one of the .first literary women of Amer ica ; the first woman poet of the United States ; the first Negro au thor, the first, as far as has thus far been discovered, to speak of George Washington as the "first in peace."

The first Negro poet was a slave brought over in a cargo of captives in 1781. The ship of human cargo landed at Boston. There among other slave buyers, were Mr. and Mrs. John Wheatley who came to select and purchase a girl for their home. Phillis came forth a frail creature of seven rr eight years of age. The Bostonians bought her and christened her Phillis Wheatley. Of course the slave child was unable to read or write. But the VVheatleys taught her. In less than sixteen months she had acquired a fair knowledge of English and was able to read the most difficult parts of the "Sacred Writings." From the Bible she began to read Latin, the Latin poets and mythology. Soon she began to write verses, which to the people of Boston were very good, indeed excellent for one v.-hh so little training.

She was frail in health. To aid her in gaining strength her friends advised taking a trip to F.n- gl.'ind which she duly made. In England she was the guest of the Countess of Huntingdon, to whom she. later dedicated her book of poems published

in 1773, and was entertained by Lord Dartmouth and other leading men and women of the Empire. She wrote so well that people doubted her author ship. Such men as Governor Thomas Hutchinson of Massachusetts, Andrew Oliver, and John Han cock, the first signers of the Declaration of In dependence, declared that they verily believed that the poems were her own composition.

On her return to America, she found Mrs. Wheat- ley poor in health. Later the Mistress died, the Wheatley home was broken up and the poet left quite unprotected. Shortly after this she received an offer of marriage from one Samuel Peters who was a Negro grocer and a writer and speaker of high repute. The marriage turned out unhappily and the poet died deserted, December 5th, 1794.

Benson J. Lossing, the Historian says of her, "Piety was the ruling sentiment in her character."

The following are taken from Phillis Wheatley's :