The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers

by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

The slave Phillis Wheatley literally wrote her way to freedom when, in 1773, she became the first person of African descent to publish a book of poems in the English language. The toast of London, lauded by Europeans as diverse as Voltaire and Gibbon, Wheatley was for a time the most famous black woman in the West. Though Benjamin Franklin received her and George Washington thanked her for poems she dedicated to him, Thomas Jefferson refused to acknowledge her gifts. "Religion, indeed, has produced a Phillis Wheatley," he wrote, "but it could not produce a poet." In other words, slaves have misery in their lives, and they have souls, but they lack the intellectual and aesthetic endowments required to create literature.In this book based on his 2002 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities at the Library of Congress, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., explores the pivotal roles that Wheatley and Jefferson have played in shaping the black literary tradition. He brings to life the characters and debates that fermented around Wheatley in her day and illustrates the peculiar history that resulted in Thomas Jefferson's being lauded as a father of the black freedom struggle and Phillis Wheatley's vilification as something of an Uncle Tom. It is a story told with all the lyricism and critical skill that have placed Gates at the forefront of American letters.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Poetry, Race, American History, African American

144 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. is a Professor of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. He is well-known as a literary critic, an editor of literature, and a proponent of black literature and black cultural studies.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made a nice companion to Phillis Wheatley's writings, though in the end I found it unsatisfying. It's an expanded lecture, which I didn't realize going in, and it's just too short to really make a proper impact. I definitely enjoyed the beginning, where Gates discusses the "trial" Wheatley underwent to determine whether she had in fact written her poems - most did not believe she could have due to her race. There is a rather large, in my opinion, digression on Thomas Jefferson and his views of race after that - at least, while it fits due to his role in opinion on Wheatley's work, it's not what I expected from the book and I would have preferred more emphasis on Wheatley herself. He then moved to reception of Wheatley's work, and how she has been heavily dismissed due to her poem "On Being Brought From Africa to America", which, admittedly, has troublesome implications about slavery (though I think the religiosity of the time should be kept in mind when reading it). While his examination of this was interesting, the book suddenly wraps up at the end very quickly by Gates "welcoming home" Wheatley to the fold of African-American writers and pioneers...without ever explaining why, exactly. I agree on the whole that her life, times, and efforts earn her a place in the pantheon, but I had that preconceived notion from reading her biography and poems - not really from anything Gates told me in his work. So, overall, an odd little piece, but worth reading.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will make quick work of Henry Louis Gates, Jr’s essay expanded to book form; the hardback is less than 100 pages. However, don’t be mislead by its brevity. It is overflowing with information on Phillis Wheatley, the tribunal gathered to validate her authorship of published poems, an assessment of the attitude of the time (late 18th century), and a more current assessment of Phillis Wheatley’s place in the African-American literary community.

Gates sets the stage with a review of the eighteen member panel selected to determine whether recent publications of poetry was indeed written by a slave girl. No doubt that the panel members possessed a discerning palate when it came to poetry and/or were skeptical of the artistic and intellectual capabilities of people of color.

Regarding Wheatley, “She is on trial and so is her race.” p.6

Regarding the eighteen member panel, “What they were not, however, was an association for the advancement of colored people.” p.15

Gates continues with his analysis; providing an exposition on the impact of Wheatley’s poetry, then and now:

“And so, against the greatest odds, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral became the first book of poetry published by a person of African descent in the English language, marking the beginning of an African-American literary tradition.” p.31

“...the overwhelming tendency in Wheatley criticism has been to upbraid her for ‘not being black enough.’” p.81

[Kirstin Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read and great information. Would have liked more details from her life, just too short and underdeveloped.

[Denise Kettering · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the text of a lecture, and as such, it is not a comprehensive treatment of Phillis Wheatley, but rather tries to Wheatley's legacy in relation to broader colonial currents as well as her reception in the 20th century. The lecture is an interesting treatment of the ways that Wheatley's legacy has been used and embraced by different parties. If a person is somewhat curious about Wheatley, this is a short treatment that can easily be read in a single setting and the bibliography provides many other sources that will provide more comprehensive treatments of her biography and of her poetry.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a used bookstore months and months ago because it is mentioned at length in an essay on Phillis Wheatley included in *The Fire Next Time* (edited by Jesmyn Ward). I have always been intrigued and confused by Wheatley because all I really knew of her writing was the often anthologized (and troubling) "On Being Brought from Africa to America." Gates's book provided me with a bigger, more complex perspective on and understanding of Wheatley, which I wanted and expected. What I did not expect was Gates's nuanced perspective on Jefferson and on the connection between Jefferson/Wheatley and the evolution of African American literature. Highly recommend.

[smil · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

short and sweet, and much more enjoyable than the good wives, my god. guess who will ACTUALLY be able to write an essay on this book!! :)

[Mohammad · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Trials of Phillis Wheatley, America's First Black Poet and her Encounters with the Founding Fathers" by Henry Louis Gates, JR. tells the tale of an Negro women and how she is "othered". Phillis Wheatley was a thin, female, African American slave, who was roughly in her teens, and had composed many works of literature like poems. On October 8, 1772, in Boston, Massachusetts, Ms. Wheatley’s trial had begun. The prominence of this trial was to “...verify the authorship of her poems and to answer a much larger question: was a Negro capable of producing literature?” (pg 5)Some themes within this would be "othering", equality, skepticism, and religion. Many people, especially the founding fathers who were presiding as the gatekeepers of the trial, were skeptical about her works of literature. Thomas Jefferson even said that "Religion indeed has produced a Phillis Wheatley; but it could not produce a poet." Also, he thought that she was merely aping the bible and biblical verses and rewriting them, in essence she was plagiarizing. One person who would support Wheatley's works would be Mary, and Susanna who had taught her English, Latin and the Bible. Another would be George Washington, because in his letter to her he had written “I am with great respect, your obedient humble servant.” (pg. 38) George Washington had respected her greatly enough to be her servant, and called her works genius. During the trial, “She was auditioning for the humanity of the entire African people,” (pg 27) this was what was at stake. This trial would prove whether or not black were capable of imagination and creativity, and if they were, they would not be considered as sub-humans. Wheatley was even criticized even after her death. She was criticized at Margaret Walker’s bicentennial celebration of her poems at Jackson State College, by African-American writers and scholars for “not being black enough” (pg. 81) Phillis Wheatley was also criticized by white people in the 18th century for being too white, and by black people in the 20th century for being too white. This was all probably because she was a female slave, whom many people thought wasn’t capable of this type of literary talent. Additionally, through this reading, I realized that even the founding fathers would "other" people of African descent and would think of them as inferior, and not capable of high accomplishments. In the end this trial was alright to read, I mean there wasn't anything too special. I would recommend this to avid readers of African American literature and history.

[Arelis · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have any interest in where this nation has been or where it is headed, this book is right for you. It is clearly written and thoughtful. It talks about the old American paradox on equality and race. It shows how even though America claims to be a place of liberty they continuosly other blacks.

When Phillis Wheatley was 7 she was brought over to boston in 1761. John Wheatley and his wife taught her how to read and write and is in trial because she has been accused of plagerism. They do not belive that a black woman has the capabilities in being a fluent speaker and a good writer. Henry Louis Gates Jr. tells the the astonishing and ultimately tragic story of Phillis Wheatley.

He also includes the questions of race and equality that has considerably changed from how we think about race today. He speaks of the old 18th century ideal of black inferiorty and the things he says about the secrets of phillis wheatley's poetry

Mr. Gates starts on October 1772 when 18-year-old Phillis is brought before a panel to decide a whether or not it possible that an African slave, and a female slave at that, had the intellectual capacity to write classical poetry in English? The issue at root was whether Africans were, according to Francis Bacon, David Hume, Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, descendants of another "species of men," related more to apes than Europeans. In proving that she could actually write she shaped african literature

From this historical fiction text I have learned that people will say or do anything to cover up to the truth. For example, Thomas Jefferson would use historical context that did not really make sense to prove that blacks are inferior. I gave this book 2 stars because I do not find this story particulaly interesting it's more for people who really love history and african american literature. I do not really care for this story but I do not hate it either. It is very repetetive... in my opinion.

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trials of Phillis by Henry Louis Gates JR. is a story focused on othering towards an African female poet. The setting of the Wheatley trials took place in Boston’s Town Hall, the Old Colony House in 1772. The trials of Wheatley were made into such an ordeal because of her skin color. Everybody questioned, “Was a negro capable of producing literature?” (Page 5). John Wheatley, her master, wanted to help her publish her poems but they judged her seeing she was black. At a young age Wheatley was bought by the Wheatley family. Mrs. Wheatley influenced her to read and have an education. Those who judged her doubted she wrote these poems. Judging her included those by the name of Francis Bacon, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Reverend Samuel Mather. Hume believed that the African race was inhumane and more like creatures that are related to apes, nothing like the Europeans. However people such as Andrew Oliver, Reverend Samuel Cooper, and James Bowdoin supported Wheatley in her trials to gain authorship. Hume and Immanuel Kant defined “humans” to those born to a European ancestry. According to them Africans were sub-human and much more unordinary creatures.

After reading this story I concluded to the idea of how ignorant people back then were. Many of them thought Wheatley was just a white imitator. Since she was taught by the whites therefore she would write like one. African women or any African in general had their own mind set as well. Anyone can think for themselves if educated. Obvious themes in this book would have to be racism and equality. I would recommend this story to those who enjoy reading about African women rights and how they tried to fight against it.

[Svitlana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that the excerpt I have read for my English class may not be the most interesting and exciting piece of writing but it is important for everyone to know about the past. What I have learned from this piece of writing was that the past was emphasized around race and clearly people were viewed differently according to race and religion. Phillis Wheatley was a talented poet, who despite her hardships of being a clave was taught how to read and write ever since her childhood. According to Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley's works lacked originality as her works was based on the Bible, almost as replicas. Of course, there were people who supported her, such as her master and mistress who witnessed her educational process and who were highly convinced that Ms. Wheatley was highly intelligent woman who was capable of creating advanced and authentic poetry. Equality and othering were two major themes. Due to lack of equality before the law and within the nation, the controversy of Wheatley's works being authentic or replicas arose. WHY? This is where othering comes into play, as the reason for such controversy wasn't Wheatley's work at all, but rather her race. It was white men's fear of losing control over the rigid social structure and admitting that blacks do have an equal mind to whites and are capable of creating distinct and complex original works. The bottom line is that Phillis was put on trial not because she was guilty, but rather because others felt unsafe as Phillis symbolized the proof of black men being intelligent and highly motivated to contribute to the world of literature and academics.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this excerpt I read for my English class was not exactly entertaining, it wasn’t meant to be. The purpose of “The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America’s First Black Poet and Encounters with the Founding Fathers,” by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was to show an emphasis on race and the clear distinctions people make because of it. They question their beliefs and culture, and argue who the “top dog” is. Phillis Wheatley was born a slave, yet was different from many. She had the privilege to learn how to read and write. Bringing into question the validity of her poems, Thomas Jefferson believed her to be a mere copycat, who used the Bible for her own needs. Wheatley, however, still had support from her masters and others who had witnessed her powerful writing skills.Throughout the novel, equality and “othering” were two major themes. “Othering” can be represented through Wheatley herself, as Jefferson believed she was not capable of being a poet because of her skin color. He “othered” her and her race, making them inferior and dehumanized. Jefferson represented the every day white man’s fear of having a slave be educated enough to revolt against their masters. Wheatley went to trial, but her trial was not merely people believing she was guilty of plagiarizing, rather it was a trial in which they questioned just how humane the blacks were.

[Mohammed Hussian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Louis Gate Jr. does a prodigious job in demonstrating that the amazing works of black intellects were discredited. Henry does this by talking about “The Trials of Phillis Wheatley, America's First Black Poet and her Encounters with the Founding Fathers.” Phillis Wheatley is a very well known poet, however many others think otherwise. She was doubted by others and received very harsh criticisms. Primarily, Thomas Jefferson discredited her superb poetry. He claimed that she was intellectually inferior and incapable of producing such works, and thus assumed that someone has helped her. He also claimed that her poetry was nothing but just a reiteration of “biblical verses.” She was criticized plethora of times because the superior and elites in society didn’t want her to retain an achievement, especially because she is an African Slaves. In other words “Ignorance is bliss.” By repudiating her achievements, its makes the upper classes in society feel better about themselves. She was amongst the many other intellectual slaves that couldn’t obtain prestige for their contributions and achievements to society. Phillis Wheatley’s poems are about the harsh and callous bondages of slavery. I would suggest this book to student that are interested in learning more about slavery and Thomas Jefferson’s point of view slavery.

[Eliza Brittni · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Trials of Phillis Wheatly" was a very interesting novel to read. Phillis Wheatly was a native African and traveled to America on a ship called “Phillis” in 1761. She was purchased by John Wheatly and his wife was a kind lady who ended up teaching Phillis how to read and write. This was uncommon during this period of time because she was a slave. Teaching slaves how to be literate was a threat to society because they would start to think and question ideas thought to be set in stone by white oppressors. Phillis was taught through the bible and later becomes an amazing poet. During the book one reads about how Jefferson believed she plagiarized from the bible and wasn’t a real bible. This is shocking because it shows how slaves and blacks were degraded. They were thought to be incapable of learning and were degraded just by their looks. Othering was a reoccurring theme through out this story and it is unfair. One would not realize the real racial tensions between whites and blacks without these first hand experiences Phillis being put on trial for writings that were clearly hers. I would recommend this book to people interested in themes and the past.

[Aziza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave information about Phillis Wheatley and about her poetry. I learn so many things about her and about her poetry and especially about the people who were against and were supporting her poetry. Before I didn’t know anything about her, neither I ever heard about her or her poetry. There were many people who disapproved of her poetry and many who admired her poetry. One thing that I really hated was that people were thinking that she didn’t write the poetry, she copied the white people. Also, those people think that she is not that smart or knowledgeable to write such good quality poetry. People were saying that she was copying white people because she was taught by the white people. That was just so weird, how could you think something like this is in it really hilarious.

I think the people who were against her were jealous of her and that’s why those people were saying that she was imitating others such as white people. Which is not true because she was very highly educated woman, it shows through out her writing. Overall, all it was nice to know different people special point of view through out her story.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little book - more of a booklet, really, a libellus the Romans would have said, on Phillis Wheatley, the 18th century black poet who resided briefly in the city of Providence near my home. Her poetry first became of interest to me because of its Classical allusions - she was quite learned in Greek and Roman mythology, and did learn some Latin, I believe. She was examined by a panel to see if she really did write her own poems, thus proving that a black woman could write poetry - and was therefore a human being. Gates Jr. details the rise and fall of her fortunes in life and literary afterlife (the irony outstanding to me is that she was considered "too black" to be taken seriously by 19th century literary scholars, and 20th century African-American literary scholars consider her "too white" for her adoration of Western civilization over her own native culture. "If Wheatley stood for anything, it was the creed that culture was, could be, the equal possession of all humanity."

[Sanum · Rating 2 out of 5]

This speech was really honestly boring. In the beginning it was not bad, it talked about Phillis Wheatley and how she was being tried because of her poetry. There was many people who dissapproved of her poetry and many who admired her poetry. The main argument for the people who disliked it was because they thought she was copying white people, and didn't have the intelligence to write so good, since she was black. They said she was simply imitating white people , since she was taught by white people. I found that funny because don't we get educated by a variety of different teachers from different places, Does that make us imitators of them? No . This speech opened up my eyes to the ignorance of people back then. It also showed me how people can interpret things in different ways, because Phillis Wheatley's poem talked about Africa being a pagan land, and how she came to America and became a christian and earned salvation. This poem got the criticism of many people because she disrespected her own country.

[Leonela · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to see how slavery was though someone who lived it, read Phillis Wheatley. This book is about a woman who has been enslave for as long as she can remember. In this book you can see what she saw, feel what she felt, and fear what she was so afraid of. In the beginning Wheatley you could say had an easy life, for a slave. All she had to do was attend to the need of her mistress's daughter, whom she loved very much.However, it was when she was sold away did she face the cruelty slavery could bring. She, as the author of the book, she uses imagery to paint the picture of the bloody scenes she has witness. And the one's she suffered herself. The theme of freedom is written all over this book. She does what ever she can to gain her freedom with out her masters knowing. Wanting to be her own master. In this book you can she how harsh the slaves lived and worked. There well being was the very last thing put into consideration. Know the Wheatley was the first black woman to have published writing in history.

[Yomiuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trials of Phillis Wheatley by Henry Louis Gates, Jr was very informational. It was focused primarily on Phillis Wheatley an African born slave brought to America whom then turned out to be a poet. She did not live one could say a harsh life compared to other slaves because learned how to read and write and was not brutalized as many others. However, even though she wrote many poems and was famous for them many people criticized her and did not believe she herself wrote them. Thomas Jefferson was a primary example; he believed that her poems were simply phrases from the bible that she copied from. Despite this not only many white men criticized her but also her own people did. Many blacks believed that she was not a true advocate of the blacks because she did not experience the same treatment as the other slaves, that she did not share the same perspective of slavery as did many others. I would recommend this to someone that would want to have knowledge about Phillis Wheatley and the different perspectives of the people that were putting her on trial.

[Valentin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little book that has a powerful differentiation of perspective. On one side you can see the perspective of those who admired Wheatley for her work, and the opponents of Wheatley who don’t accredit her work. One can see a theme of equality in this book because in the trials Wheatley tries to make her poetry equal to the poetry of the whites. One thing that I learned from this book is how harsh Thomas Jefferson was. He put down blacks, especially Phillis Wheatley for producing great poetry. Jefferson said that the Bible created Phillis Wheatley, basically saying that her work is a mere repetition of what she read in the Bible. I enjoyed reading it because it was short and straightforward, he named the people opposing Wheatley and those defending her. Overall it was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone wanting some reference to the Trials of Phillis Wheatley.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The trials of Phillis Wheatley was a book that showed her true colors. Before reading this book I felt as thought Phillis truly was for the acceptance of the African slaves at the time, when in reality she wasn't accepting of her own culture. In poems that she wrote she mentioned Africa being a pagan land, and the white man saved her and her fellow Africans from that. This book shows that Phillis' mind was tainted by outside influences therefore I don't believe all of the themes of her poems were hers alone. Most don't appreciate Phillis' writing for what it truly was because of the fact that she didn't seem to be writing from the correct perspective rather from a slave's perspective that had the easy life. The trials of Phillis Wheatley were to prove that Africans were creative and were capable of being intellegent.

[Xing · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, there shows different people’s perspective on different races and how black people were different from white people. According to Hume, he defined “human” by their ability to write and capacity of create imaginative literature. In his word, if Africans could, they considered to be a member of human family. As a result, many black writers tried to produce a great amount of literature to prove their “humanity”. However, Wheatley was a black poet, but people stated that her works didn’t represent the black literature because she had a “white mind.” Her poetry couldn’t be used to express black people’s thought, and her poetry only showing slightly of her being a black and a slave. However, Wheatley suffered series criticism from many people which mainly focused her works and her race.

[Muyiwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Trials of Phillis Wheatley by Henry Louis Gates Jr is an informative writing that allows one to understand the viewpoints of high-in-society white men that were given the responsibility to represent their nation. It gives the opinion on the validity of Wheatley's work; and brings us to the understanding that not everyone credited her for her work. This book even reveals the beliefs of black people in the 1950s through the 1960s to show that many people probably gave her acknowledgment for her work, but found that it was in support of the white man. That is what I found most surprising in the book. I would recommend this book to people that are interested in learning more about African American history and significant black people who had breakthrough achievements during their time.

[Naurin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Trials of Phillis Wheatley by Henry Louis Gates Jr. was something I gained knowledge from. I did not think that white men would ever think that slaves were incapable of literacy. Although blacks were always treated inferior, they are human and they do have brains that they received from God. I thought that white men would at least respect a little bit of that. However, I was astonished to read about the trials of Phillis Wheatley and extremely disappointed in Thomas Jefferson. I always respected him as a president, but my views of Thomas Jefferson had changed after learning about his perspective on humanity and equality. However, I was proud of Phillis Wheatley trying to attain her freedom. She was very determined and she represented the blacks of not being illiterate. This book was great and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning in depth about slavery.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all books are written for entertainment, and this is one of them. While reading "The Trials of Phillis Wheatley", I focused on historical context and opinions of Henry Louis Gates. This is a book written for learning purposes for people who wish to find out more about Phillis Wheatley. Many people think of Wheatley as a poet yet don't know any controversial facts concerning her. Before anyone reads this book, I would recommend reading a little about Jefferson and his "Notes on the State of Virginia". Then, I think everyone would have enough background information that would help them undertand what's going on. Major focal themes include racism, equality, and humanity. An argument debated throughout the book is whether or not a true poet. After reading this book, I definitely developed my own opinion on the topic and encourage others to do the same.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

THe Trials of Phillis Wheatley was very interesting to read. Phillis Wheatley was an African American woman who wrote poetry based on the bible, nature, and what she was going through. People neve rbelieved that an african american slave could write such poetry, so they put her on trial. They also thoght she was plagirising many things from the bible and other texts. Many people went against Phillis Wheatley, and people would only thing it was White men. There was also african americans going agaisnt her calling her "too white". You can see this book how much of a role racism plays in her trial, and you can see how people of her own kind go agaisnt her. Overall i give this book 3 out of 5 stars because it was pretty good but got a little boring at some parts.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book demonstrated the doubts and criticism expressed towards Phillis Wheatley, as she tried to publish her poetry. At every door step she faced a new obstacle, it which she had to prove her intelligence to men of high status. It was impossible to believe that a lsave is capable of writing poetry. I admire her courage, persisitance, and determination to keep going after each obstacle, even though many seemed quite redundant at times. Phillis Wheatley demonstrated to be an early remodel of what can be accomplished from giving blacks knowledge. It seems that she has surpassed standards set by critiques with ease, proving to be more than a mere house slave. I applaud Phillis Wheatley for her early achievements. I also understood both perspectives on which people critiqued

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although short, the excerpt read in class from this book portrayed powerful ideas. The criticism of Phillis Wheatley's works proved to be very controversial but also influential on African Americans. Through this reading I learned of the Jeffersonian critique that encouraged the development of Afro-American literature. It was interesting to discover that Wheatley not only received aspersions from whites, but also from blacks who deemed her to be unappreciative of her freedom, and her work to be "to white". Based on the excerpt, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the works of Phillis Wheatley because it is an in-depth look at the influence of her writings and it's evaluations.

[Kristine Buckheit · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Encounters with the Founding Fathers" by Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a very inspirational book. It describes the life of an African American woman, who decides to become a scholar. Although she was born a slave, she had the opportunity to learn how to read and write. Many people enjoyed reading her poetry, but some didn't. One of these people was Thomas Jefferson. He thought that Phillis based her poetry solely on the Bible and was convinced that she did not write it herself. Phillis did not let these accusations bother her, she was determined to keep on writing with the support of her masters and readers. Throughout this novel, there is constant judgement on those of different races, beliefs, and cultures.

[Yan Kadouri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The trials of Phillis Wheatley is a story which really shows the hate that the american people put on african americans just because they were different form the rest of society and what goes through their heads.But you ask yourself what are some of the literary devices that Henry Louis Gates Jr used to show the true pains of the slaves and how they did not believe that phills Wheatley wrote the poems.What causes this hate in the modern day society and what causes it go away and why cant they believe that black's are educated.I ask myself how can they put her all through this trails without knowing about her and her role in society.Read this book to actually explore how the african americans were brought down as people just because the had a view they were stupid.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phillis Wheatley was born in 1753, somewhere in West Africa, most likely between present day Gambia. She was brought to Boston, Massachusetts on July 11, 1761. Trials began due to people's doubts that a black woman could write such fine pieces of literature. The influence of Phillis Wheatley’s work has grown throughout the years. During her life, Phillis Wheatley’s writings were read and praised across North America and parts of Europe. Even to this day Wheatley’s talent in composition and expression continue to be marveled, along with her incredible mastery of the English language, which occurred in such a short period of time.