John Wheatley purchased Phillis as a slave for his wife Susanna. Phillis had been kidnapped in Africa and brought to America to be sold.
Phillis wheatley pictures as a child
Phillis wheatley pictures as a child images
Phillis wheatley pictures as a child youtube
Phillis wheatley parents
Phillis wheatley husband
Despite the fact that she was supposed to be a slave to Susanna, Susanna chose to educate the young girl instead. Phillis' health was not very good, and her intelligence was difficult to ignore.
Susanna Wheatley and her husband John, and their own children all played a role in Phillis' education.
They taught her to read and write and she studied Latin, Greek, English, Ancient history, literature, and mythology.
By the time Phillis was 12 she published her first poem. It was published in the Newport Mercury.
Phillis wheatley pictures as a child images
Its title was On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin.
Phillis' fame began to grow as she published her poems. The poem that made her famous was published in 1770 titled An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of that Celebrated Divine, and Eminent Servant of Jesus Christ, the Reverend and Learned George Whitefie