In 1761 Mrs. Wheatley of Boston purchased a frail, terrified little Negro girl at a slave auction. This Negro girl, about seven years old, had come to Boston on a slave ship. She was greatly handicapped, because she could not speak English.

The Wheatley family was one of the most important families in Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley and their two children, Nat and Mary, became attached to the little Negro girl. They gave her the name Phillis, and almost made her a member of the family. Phillis and Mary became very close friends.

Through the help of the Wheatley children, Phillis learned to speak English and afterwards to read. By the time she was ten she read the Bible, collections of myths and poetry, and other books in the Wheatleys’ library with absorbing interest. She even learned to speak and to read Latin.

At the age of twelve Phillis began to write poetry. Mr. Wheatley proudly showed some of her poems to prominent Bostonians, who were skeptical and questioned her about them. She answered their questions convincingly and from then on was invited to write poems for many social functions in Boston.

On one occasion Phillis wrote a poem to King George III of England to thank him for repealing the Stamp Act. Afterwards Mr. Wheatley gave her her freedom and she made a trip to England, partially for her health. While she was in England, she was invited to stay with the Countess of Huntington.

The countess arranged to have Phillis’ poems printed and had her portrait painted to use as a frontispiece to the book. She held a big party for Phillis and even arranged for her to meet King George III. Unfortunately Phillis had to return home to care for Mrs. Wheatley before she could see the king.

After Mrs. Wheatley died, Phillis continued to live in the Wheatley home. Soon after fighting broke out with the British in 1775, she wrote a poem praising General George Washington as a brave leader. Then Washington invited her to visit him at his headquarters in Cambridge. Her visit with Washington was one of the high points of her career.

This book, which has been written by Kathryn Kilby Borland and Helen Ross Speicher, tells a fascinating story about Phillis Wheatley. Phillis died at an early age, but won the admiration of many influential people, both in America and England. Today she is honored as one of our foremost colonial poets.

From the dust jacket