Abolition, slavery & women’s rights
Phillis Wheatley Peters
c. 1753–1784
Massachusetts connection
Boston
Wheatley Peters was taken from Africa and enslaved as a child. In Boston she became a poet; her book was published in 1773 while she was still enslaved. Her writing challenged racist beliefs about Black people’s abilities. Read her as an author with ideas of her own.
You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.
Your turn, historian
Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- What unfair rule or practice did this person challenge, and how?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“Phillis Wheatley Peters mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Follow the evidence.
This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.
Read the source: National Park Service ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?