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1773

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Achievement · literature
Phillis Wheatley Publishes First Book of Poetry by a Black American

Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved woman in Boston, published Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in London in 1773, the first book of poetry published by a Black American and only the third book published by an American woman. Her achievement prompted a celebrated examination by Boston's leading men who certified her authorship.

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January 1773
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September 1773
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Key events

  1. September 1773
    Phillis Wheatley Publishes First Book of Poetry by a Black American

    Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved woman in Boston, published Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in London in 1773, the first book of poetry published by a Black American and only the third book published by an American woman. Her achievement prompted a celebrated examination by Boston's leading men who certified her authorship.

  2. c. 1773· debated
    Silver Bluff Baptist, the first Black church

    Enslaved and free Black Baptists found Silver Bluff Baptist Church in South Carolina, often called the first Black church in America.

Resources from this period

Videos·1

Phillis Wheatley, Crash Course Black American History #7
CrashCourse