She Was Captured And Sold To Slavery When She Was 7

Scholars assume that Phillis Wheatley was born in 1753 in West Africa, most likely in modern-day Gambia or Senegal, despite the fact that the exact year and location of her birth remain unknown. On July 11, 1761, when she was seven years old, she was purchased by a traveling trader from a native chief and transported on the slave ship The Phillis to Boston in the British Colony of Massachusetts. Peter Gwinn served as the ship's captain, while Timothy Fitch owned it.

When she arrived in Boston, she was purchased as a slave for his wife Susanna, who was a rich Boston businessman and tailor John Wheatley. She was given the name Phillis by John and Susanna Wheatley in honor of the ship that had brought her to America. She was given their last name, Wheatley, as was customary when an enslaved person's last name was used.

Mary, the 18-year-old daughter of the Wheatleys, served as Phillis's first reading and writing tutor. Nathaniel, their son, also gave her assistance. One of the interesting facts about Phillis Wheatley is she received an education that was both exceptional for a lady of any race and unheard-of for an enslaved person thanks to John Wheatley, a progressive figure well-known throughout New England.