Phillis Wheatley

Wheatley, Phillis (1753?–84), U.S. poet. Brought to Boston from Africa as a slave, she was educated by her owners, John Wheatley and his wife, and began writing poetry. A collection of her verse Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was published in 1773. Her work deals with her joy about converting to Christianity, as well as her concerns about slavery. She is regarded as the first important black U.S. writer.