... WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SO ENGROSSED OVER HER LITERARY CAREER ( A SLAVE - WHO BECOMES A WRITER ) BUT FIRST SHE HAD TO ACQUIRE AN EDUCATION - AND THIS OPPORTUNITY WAS AFFORDED HER BY HER OWNERS ( MR JOHN WHEATLEY & HIS WIFE - SUSANNA ) THIS COUPLE WAS FROM THE WEALTHY SIDE OF SOCIETY - THEY WERE BOSTONIANS - BUT IT WAS JOHN WHEATLEY WHO PURCHASE THIS YOUNG FEMALE IN AFRICA ( AND ODDLY ENOUGH ) SHE WAS NAMED FOR THE SHIP THAT BROUGHT HER TO AMERICA ( THE SLAVE SHIP - PHILLIS ) SHE WAS SET APART FORM OTHER DOMESTICS IN THE HOUSEHOLD - AS THE FAMILY ACCESSED HER LEARNING QUALITIES - AND FOR THE MOST PART - TREATED LIKE A FAMILY MEMBER & NOT LIKE A SERVANT - ONCE SHE HAD GAINED KNOWLEDGE - ALONG WITH HER CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT - SHE WAS THEN ALLOWED TO BECOME A WRITER ( A WRITER OF POEMS ) AND THE SIGNS OF HER TIMES ( 1773 ) MADE HER BECOME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO WRITE A BOOK ( A BOOK OF POETRY ) HER WRITING CAREER COMMENCE IN A FOREIGN LAND ( HER WRITING CAREER - ENGLAND ) WHERE THE WRITING ABILITIES - OF PEOPLE OF COLOR - WERE ACCEPTED & RECOGNIZED ( ALLOWED CREDIT FOR THE LITERARY WORKS ) HER CAREER FAIRED VERY WELL - UNTIL SUCH TIME AS HER WORKS WERE BROUGHT TO THE AMERICAS - ONCE HER SUPPLY GROUP WAS DISASSEMBLED - PHILLIS WHEATLEY LOSS HER SOCIAL STATUS - AS WELL AS HER FOOTING ( SHE HAD A HUSBAND ( JOHN PETERS ) AND THREE CHILDREN ) AND IN THE END - SHE WAS FORCED TO MAKE A LIVING - ALONG WITH OTHER SLAVES IN AMERICA - BUT SHE HAD TO LEARN TO DO DOMESTIC WORK ( RELEGATED TO A LIFE - AS A SCULLERY ) SOME OF HER CHILDREN DIED - AND IN THE END SHE DIED ALONE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON ...