On the eve of the American Revolution, Phillis Wheatley became the first African American woman poet to have a book of poetry published. Her remarkable story begins in Senegal, West Africa. She was captured by slave traders when she was seven years old and she experienced a horrific journey across the Atlantic Ocean as a part of the Atlantic Slave Trade. She arrived in Boston, MA in 1761. A wealthy merchant family, The Wheatleys, purchased her and provided her with an excellent education. She grew up to become a famous poet and a leading figure in the early abolitionist movement.

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