Culture Spot: Phyllis Wheatley, Slave and Poet

Phyllis Wheatley, born somewhere near present-day Senegal, was captured into slavery around the age of seven and sold to the Wheatley family in Boston. The Wheatleys taught her to read and write and encouraged her poetry writing. Her writing paid off when in 1773 her work Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was published. Her writings even caught the attention of General George Washington who praised her. Phyllis Wheatley’s writings helped launch African-American literature.

When the great preacher of the Great Awakening, George Whitfield died, she wrote in his honor the following poem:

On the Death of the Rev. Mr. GEORGE WHITEFIELD. 1770. HAIL, happy saint, on thine immortal throne, Possest of glory, life, and bliss unknown; We hear no more the music of thy tongue, Thy wonted auditories cease to throng. Thy sermons in unequall'd accents flow'd, And ev'ry bosom with devotion glow'd; Thou didst in strains of eloquence refin'd Inflame the heart, and captivate the mind. Unhappy we the setting sun deplore, So glorious once, but ah! it shines no more.      Behold the prophet in his tow'ring flight! He leaves the earth for heav'n's unmeasur'd height, And worlds unknown receive him from our sight. There Whitefield wings with rapid course his way, And sails to Zion through vast seas of day. Thy pray'rs, great saint, and thine incessant cries Have pierc'd the bosom of thy native skies. Thou moon hast seen, and all the stars of light, How he has wrestled with his God by night. He pray'd that grace in ev'ry heart might dwell, He long'd to see America excell; He charg'd its youth that ev'ry grace divine Should with full lustre in their conduct shine; That Saviour, which his soul did first receive, The greatest gift that ev'n a God can give, He freely offer'd to the num'rous throng, That on his lips with list'ning pleasure hung.      "Take him, ye wretched, for your only good, "Take him ye starving sinners, for your food; "Ye thirsty, come to this life-giving stream, "Ye preachers, take him for your joyful theme; "Take him my dear Americans, he said, "Be your complaints on his kind bosom laid: "Take him, ye Africans, he longs for you, "Impartial Saviour is his title due: "Wash'd in the fountain of redeeming blood, "You shall be sons, and kings, and priests to God."      Great Countess,* we Americans revere Thy name, and mingle in thy grief sincere; New England deeply feels, the Orphans mourn, Their more than father will no more return.      But, though arrested by the hand of death, Whitefield no more exerts his lab'ring breath, Yet let us view him in th' eternal skies, Let ev'ry heart to this bright vision rise; While the tomb safe retains its sacred trust, Till life divine re-animates his dust.

To learn more about the life and work of this great American woman, visit the following links:

Phyllis Wheatley, America’s First Black Woman Poet

Download an ebook for free of Phyllis Wheatley’s work

Phyllis Wheatley, Wikipedia article

Free Audio Book to Download: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

As part of celebrating Black History Month, download the FREE audio book below written by one of America’s greatest abolitionists and statesmen. He is a prominent figure in African-American history and his literary work is a masterpiece! I have read this book and I very highly recommend it! Most of this post comes from FreeAudio.org

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave By Frederick Douglass

First published in 1845, the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass became Frederick Douglass’s most well known work. It is as the name implies, his autobiography.

Frederick Douglass was born a slave and underwent horrendous treatment at the hands of his ‘owners’. He later escaped to the north and became an outspoken abolitionist. Not only did he have a great life story to tell, his skill in telling it has long been admired. Douglass traveled throughout Europe lecturing about slavery.

After publication, the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass quickly became a best seller and within three years there were over 11,000 copies published in the United States had been reprinted nine times and had been translated into two languages (Dutch and French). The book was so well written that some argued that an ex-slave could not be as articulate as Frederick Douglass demonstrated himself to be. Of course, Douglass did write the book and it stands today as a monument to the human spirit and what may be achieved with hard work - no matter where in society somebody may begin.

Frederick Douglass had to leave the United States and flee to Ireland for a period after the books publication and its immediate success for some believed that Douglass’s ex-owner Hugh Auld might try to get his ‘property’ returned. After two years, he was able to return to the United States after his freedom was purchased for $710 from Auld.

If you are interested in learning about the life of a great man who rose above his birth as a slave and became one of the greatest literary figures in American history, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is the book to read.

Download Links: (right-click to save MP3 file)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Part 1 : Approximately 13MB Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Part 2 : Approximately 12MB Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Part 3 : Approximately 13MB

.Zip Archive -- Divided into Three Minutes Track

FreeAudio.org -- Free Audio Books on Liberty and Freedom

You can read the book at: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass at Project Gutenberg (plain text and HTML).

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass at Wikipedia

Frederick Douglass at Wikipedia

Frederick Douglas National Historic Site The Washington, DC home of Frederick Douglass

Mr. Lincoln's White House: Frederick Douglass