Role of Phillis Wheatley on African American History

This article discusses the life and impact of Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. It covers her education, writing style, and influence on the American Revolution, as well as her views on slavery and racism.

AFRICAN AMERICA HISTORY

African America history: 1
Contents
Role of Phillis Wheatley on African America history...............................................................2
References..................................................................................................................................4

African America history: 2
Role of Phillis Wheatley on African America history
The great poet phillis wheatley was born in 1753 in Africa. She was the gem of her times.
Phillis was the second African American woman after Anne Bradstreet who published book
of poetry. The life of this woman was born with complications. After her birth, she was
captured by the trade slaver and brought her to America. After being purchased as a trade
slave, her life was far different from the other African American in the 17 century. The
family educated her within the 16 months after her arrival from the trade slavery and she read
bible, Greek, British literature and Latin classes (Pace 113).
As a part of education, she studied geography and astronomy. At the age of fourteen, she
wrote her first piece of poetry in 1767. Many poets named Thomas grey and Alexander Pope
influenced Phillis thought process for poetry writings. Her style of writing was embraced and
they derived from the African roots. Religion was the key influence on her due to early
studying of bible and other religious books. Her writings helped the Protestants in England
and America to enjoy their work. Both abolitionists and enslavers were influenced by the
Phillis writings and she tried to convinced the enslaved people to convert to a free and
democratic life. During the tough times from 1422 to 1877, she used her art to influence
patriots during American Revolution and she opposed to increasing slavery in the country.
She has also appreciated the patriots such as she wrote a piece of appraisal for the
commander of Continental Army named George Washington. She believed that slavery was
an social issue that had prevented the colonists to achieve true heroism (Martin 157-161).
Her behaviour was highly influenced by religion, which helped her to overcome the obstacles
related to racism and sexism. She had become a prominent poet in the 18th century. The
impact of Phillis poetry was not limited to eradicate slavery and racism but it had a great
influence on the students to fight against the school violence. Moreover, she stood against the
prejudice based on race. The literature writing of Phillis was traditionally the beginning of

African America history: 3
African-American literature. During 1760s to 1780s, new opportunities had emerged for the
slaves. Increasingly, cultural and social autonomy shaped the work experience of African
Americans by developing the growing concern for racial consciousness. It helped to deal with
the racism because at the end of 18th century, Africans were able to form their families, start
a self-help organisation and attained a dignity through new names. Combination of adaptation
of American culture and society by the emerging African consciousness, this lead to central
paradox how might African Americans accepted the social fabric of Americanisation. Ex-
slaves changed their recognition and name (Roberts 665-681).
American Revolution has interrupted the career of Phillis but the impact of this event was not
solely positive. It has also caused disruption in her life after the time she was slaved in 1753;
she never interrupted the slavery actions as a slave due to high influence of Christianity. Her
first master moved from the household to providence (Rhode Island), and then she returned to
Boston. After a month of death of John Wheatley, Phillis married to John peters who is a free
black man of Boston. In 1702, New York passed a legal prohibition that gathered three to
four enslaved Africans, which prohibited the testimony in the court by the enslaved Africans.
The testimony was against the white colonies and prohibited the trade of enslaved Africans.
Although Phillis had, lesser restrictions than other slaves did but she was still recognised as a
slave. At such a young age of 8 years, she was brought to Boston as a slave in a slave ship.
During that, the known father of Phillis adopted her from the ship. Her parents named her on
ship because they purchased phillis who had a fragile health. Being an African slave, one
driving purpose of work of Phillis was to deny the conventions and promoted other literacies
as the greatest voices. By contributing an important literature and artistic talent to America,
Phillis wheatley died in 1784 (Waldstreicher 701-733).
.

African America history: 4
References
Pace, Joel. "Afterthoughts: Romanticism, the Black Atlantic, and Self-Mapping." Studies in
Romanticism 56.1 (2017): 113.
Martin, Susan Lippert. "Diabolic Dye, Commodities, and Refinement in Phillis Wheatley's
ON BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA." The Explicator 73.2 (2015): 157-
161.
Roberts, Wendy Raphael. "“Slavery” and “To Mrs. Eliot on the Death of Her Child” Two
New Manuscript Poems Connected to Phillis Wheatley by the Bostonian Poet Ruth Barrell
Andrews." Early American Literature 51.3 (2016): 665-681.
Waldstreicher, David. "Ancients, Moderns, and Africans: Phillis Wheatley and the Politics of
Empire and Slavery in the American Revolution." Journal of the Early Republic 37.4 (2017):
701-733.