Wonder Woman of the Week: Phillis Wheatley
This week's Wonder Woman was one of the first great women writers of United States history, but slavery and poverty plagued her life from birth to death. Phillis Wheatley was born in modern-day Senegal in 1753, but- in 1761- a local chief sold Phillis into slavery where she was shipped to North America. There, the Bostonian Wheatley family purchased Phillis as a child. Unlike most families, the Wheatleys taught Phillis how to read and write, and the young girl took to education quickly. Phillis often read and wrote poetry in her free time, and- when the Wheatleys learned of her talent for prose- encouraged Phillis to develop her skill. I should mention this would have been extremely rare. Slavery in the Americas was brutal, and Phillis' story should not be taken to mean she was treated well- only well relative to fellow slave peers.
Phillis must have garnered intense respect from her owners however- as the Wheatley family took Phillis to London to publish her poetry in 1773. She became the first African-American (before the United States even existed) to be a published author. Her work inspired critical acclaim from both the English and American colonial readers-including George Washington who had high respect for the slave poet. Soon after publishing her book on poetry in London, the Wheatleys emancipated Phillis. As a free woman however, racism within the revolting colonies was harsh. A nation built both on slavery and the idea that all men are created equal created a problematic hypocrisy in early US culture- and the famous Phillis Wheatley was caught in the middle.
Phillis Wheatley married grocer John Peters- another free person of color- sometime during the American Revolution, but her marriage could not save her from the poverty of being a free woman of color in revolution-era United States. Phillis struggled with motherhood as her first two children died in infancy. In 1784, Phillis' husband John fell into debtor's prison- leaving Phillis to tend to their third child and herself. Later that same year, Phillis fell ill and died with her infant son dying soon after. Phillis' story- including even her literary work- is an example of what is now called "Uncle Tom" syndrome. From an early age, the Wheatleys separated Phillis from the other slaves- keeping her workload light and essentially brainwashing her into white culture. Phillis wrote almost nothing on the subjects of slavery or emancipation- with little self-identification with slave or black culture in her world. However, once she gained her freedom; white culture- including the Wheatleys- continued to treat her as less than equal. For all her talents and all her devotion to the white culture that raised her, 18th Century Americans still saw her as inferior- ultimately leading to her death in poverty.
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