Phillis Wheatley's Poems Are Published
Poet involved
What happened
In 1773, Phillis Wheatley's Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was published in London. Wheatley had been kidnapped from West Africa and enslaved in Boston, yet she became the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. Her book required public attestations from white men to confirm she had written it.
Literary impact
Wheatley's achievement challenged racist assumptions about intellect, authorship, and poetic refinement. Her neoclassical verse became a crucial starting point for Black Atlantic literature, where poetic form itself could become evidence against oppression.
Source: Wikipedia
