Phillis Wheatley was the first black poet in America to publish a book (1773). She was born on May 8, 1753 in West Africa and brought to New England in 1761, where John Wheatley of Boston purchased her as a gift for his wife. Although they brought her into the household as a slave, the Wheatleys took a great interest in Phillis’s education and named her Phillis Wheatley. She grew up to be a poet.
