The poet Phillis Wheatley (c.1753–84) published her book "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" in 1773, three years before American independence. Wheatley was not only the first African American to publish a book, but the first to achieve an international reputation as a writer. Born in Senegal, Wheatley was captured and sold into slavery at the age of seven. Brought to Massachusetts, she was owned by a Boston merchant. By the time she was 16, she had mastered her new language of English. Her poetry was praised by many of the leading figures of the American Revolution, including George Washington, who thanked her for a poem written in his honor. Some whites found it hard to believe that a Black woman could write such refined poetry. Wheatley had to defend herself in court to prove that she had written her own work. Some critics cite Wheatley's successful defense as the first recognition of African-American literature. As a result of the skepticism surrounding her work, "Poems on Various Subjects" was republished with "several introductory documents designed to authenticate Wheatley and her poetry and to substantiate her literary motives.”