Phillis Wheatley
Although she was an African slave, Phillis Wheatley was one of the best-known poets in America. In 1770 Wheatley wrote a poetic tribute to the evangelist George Whitefield. A lot of people said good things about the poem. In 1773 a collection of 39 poems Wheatley had written, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley was published. It was the first book by an African American woman to be published. The book made her famous in England and the American colonies. There was a poem in the book about a slave trader who brought people from Africa to America. Wheatley's mistress, Mrs. Wheatley, died on October 18, 1773. At this point Wheatley did not have to do household chores anymore. Yet, it was not until 1778 that she was set free when her master, John Wheatley, died. That year she married John Peters. Peters was a free black grocer. They had two children. Both of them died when they were babies. Her husband got put in prison in 1784 for debt. After this Wheatley became very poor. Wheatley died of illness in 1784 in Boston. She was 31 years old.