Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American to publish poetry; Some say she is America's first Black Poet. Born around 1753 in what is the modern day Senegal, Wheatley was kidnapped and taken to America in 1761 aboard a slave ship called "Phillis". She was raised Christian and offered an exceptional education by the family that owned her. In fact she was actually tutored by the Wheatley’s son, Nathaniel, in English, Latin, history, geography, religion, and the Bible.

Wheatley's poetry overwhelmingly revolves around Christian themes, with many poems dedicated to famous personalities. In 1768, Wheatley wrote "To the King's Most Excellent Majesty," in which she praised George III for repealing the Stamp Act. However, as the American Revolution gained strength, Wheatley turned to writing about themes from the point of view of the colonists. Her poem “To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth” compares her enslaved state with that of the colonies under Britain’s rule, denouncing both.

Because many white people of the time found it hard to believe that a black woman could be so intelligent as to write poetry, in 1772 Wheatley had to defend her literary ability in court. She was examined by a group of Boston luminaries including John Erving, John Hancock and Thomas Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, amongst others. They concluded that she had in fact written the poems ascribed to her and signed an attestation which was published in the preface to her book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral published in Aldgate, London in 1773. The book was published in London because publishers in Boston had refused to publish the text.

Though she rarely mentions her own situation in her poems -- one of the few which refers to slavery is "On being brought from Africa to America -- Phillis’ popularity as a poet both in the United States and England ultimately brought her freedom from slavery on October 18, 1773.

Through her poetry, Wheatley is credited with helping found African American literature. She died in poverty at the age of 31.