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Phillis Wheatley Research Paper

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Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley rose from the ashes and became one of the most accomplished poets ever. She was from Africa and brought over to the Colonies in 1761. From there, Wheatley sprouted into the first African American and the third American woman to publish a book of poetry. Phillis Wheatley could not have been as successful if it were not for her owners, her intelligence and her background. Wheatley was captured from Africa when she was eight and brought to the Colonies. John Wheatley bought the young girl as a servant for his wife, Susanna Wheatley. It was custom that the slave adopt his master’s last name. Following that custom, she was known as Phillis Wheatley The Wheatleys treated Phillis Wheatley better than most slaves …show more content…

She felt that being taken away from Africa was not as bad as most slaves saw it. The author inserts a quote of hers, “Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land my benighted soul to understand. That there’s a God, that there’s a saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. Some view our sable race with a scornful eye, ‘Their color is a diabolic die.’ Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.” That was a deep and powerful message to everyone. It talked about how people treat other people differently because of the color of their skin, how everyone should just get along, and how there is a God and a saviour watching over all of us. Wheatley was thankful for being taken from her world because she learned about God and Christ. Her book included religion and it was a major part in her career. The author mentions, “In 1773, Wheatley gained considerable stature when her first and only book of verse, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published…” When Wheatley published the book, she became the first African American and first U.S. and third American women to do so. Phillis Wheatley’s background was a major part in her success as a

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