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Do your research, ask questions, then visit orderlymeds.com slash podcast for an exclusive offer. That's orderlymeds.com slash podcast. Individual results may vary, not medical advice, eligibility required, see cite for details. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. And to search for the Owl American Stories podcast, go to the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
The definition of an anagram is a word or phrase or written work. That can be formed by rearranging the letters of another. And one good example is on being brought from Africa to. America. Written In seventeen sixty-eight.
Here to read this poem and tell the story of the remarkable woman behind the hand that wrote it, Phyllis Wheatley. is Leslie Johnson. Take it away, Leslie. Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land, Taught my benighted soul to understand That there is a God, that there is a Saviour too, Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye Their colour is a diabolic dye. Remember Christians, negroes, black as Cain, may be refined. and join the angelic train. There was another gentleman, a scholar, who actually he was a fan of anagrams and he went back and re-evaluated that poem and got a completely different message from the one that seemingly is presented to you. Upon first reading it, Because sometimes depending on who the person is that reads it, you may get different messages.
Same to be said of you and me. Hail, brethren in Christ. Have ye forgotten God's word? Scriptures teach us that bondage is wrong. His own greedy kin sold Joseph into slavery.
Is there no bomb in Gilead? God made us all. Aren't African men born to be free?
So am I. ye commit so brute a crime on us. But we can change thy attitude, America. Uh Manumentar race. I thank the Lord.
And a lot of her poetry. There are lots of different secret hidden messages. I mean, she's... She wasn't a fool. No matter what other people thought, she was not stupid.
She knew where she was. She knew what she was writing.
So What was Phyllis Wheatley's life like? Her actual birthday is not known because in Africa, as I understand it, they calculate birth and date a little bit differently in their cultural traditions.
So we don't know that. We know that she has a family. Of course, she had a mother and father at some specific point. She might have even had siblings, but it is unknown. All we know for sure is that somewhere around.
the year of seventeen sixty one. She was kidnapped and traveled a distance of maybe five months. The conditions of any slave being brought aboard, they usually were going to be at the bottom of the ship. and they were usually packed together in chains. They were given very little to eat, very little clothing, usually kept in the dark, usually never let up.
typically.
So actually the schooner that brought her probably would have had hundreds of slaves and they're probably at least a third of that cargo would have died. Or car I say cargo. I I mean people, but people were treated as such nothing more than cargo. When she arrived uh in Boston, she was very sick, actually the ship captain at the time. I thought she was going to die.
And so he stopped off. They were actually bound for the West Indies. The schooner that she was aboard was supposed to go to the West Indies, but he had lost stock of his slaves. and decided I'm going to go off to Boston. This will be close, and it's on the way, and I'll sell what I can.
And so, you know, the slaves were made to eat aboard these scaffolds where people could come and inspect them, pinch them. Push them a little bit, make them walk around to see if they would be able to perform everyday tasks or activities depending on the labor, as most of us know. In Boston, Massachusetts is a great big seaport. It's not a plantation, so what people would want slaves for would be a little bit different than, say, the colonies of Georgia or Virginia. But still, hard labor is hard labor.
The captain didn't really probably think anyone was going to be interested in Phyllis at the time because she was really small and frail and dirty and on the brink of death. In fact, actually, she might have most likely suffered breathing afflictions for the rest of her life due to the conditions of the ship that were forced on her. I imagine maybe something close to asthma. But anyway, while she was up there, of course, you know, she's only about seven or eight years old by this particular point. Her age was calculated based on how many teeth that she had at the time.
They weren't actually really sure of her age. Yeah.
So. She was just standing up there, you know, scared little kid. You know, you've just been. Taken away from your home, you don't know where you are. And then this well-looking lady and gentleman just come up to where she is and look down at her and kind of.
Design?
Okay, we're I'm going to take this one home. And that was the couple, John and Susanna Wheatley. John Wheatley. Susanna's husband. was a very uh wealthy tailor.
And a merchant of sorts.
So he was actually. fairly prominent figure, a a pretty wealthy gentleman. There's not a documentation that they had other slaves beyond Phyllis. It's possible that they did, but there's not as much documentation on that. But John wanted to get his wife a slave just to have mostly as a companion.
So they wanted this kid and paid very little for her, I don't imagine a few pounds. Not very much. And they took her home, and they named her Phyllis. Phyllis was the name, actually, of the schooner. That brought her to Boston.
So that's where she gets her name. What her name was before, we will never know.
So they brought her home, and most of her tasks were delineated to household chores, sweeping the floor, dusting things off books, helping Mrs. Wheatley with whatever was necessary. The Wheatleys had five children. Three of them died. The ones that survived were one son and one daughter.
They were twins. Mary was the daughter. and Nathaniel was the son. And um one day they just happened to or as we it's not really entirely recorded uh but one day I think they happened to just find that um She had an aptitude, Phyllis, for Learning. I just caught her, you know, sometimes looking at books, trying to understand things.
Narrative that goes by is that she one day they walked in on her and she was trying to copy some.
Some she had a piece of coal in her hand, and it was a book, and she was trying to copy the letters and trying to make it look the same way. And they found that fascinating. And so the daughter, specifically Mary, is like, well, we should see if we can teach her how to read and write. That, you know, that that could be.
Something. John was also on board for that.
So she began learning how to it only took about s about sixteen months' time. She could s uh read and write and speak English quite well, very adept at it, and began learning other subjects, astronomy. literature, geography, even Greek and Latin, which was actually very uncommon for a young lady to learn.
So for a young African American female slave that was pretty much unheard of or probably considered impossible. When we come back, more of this story of race on our American story. Folks, if you love the stories we tell about this great country and especially the stories of America's rich past, know that all of our stories about American history from war to innovation, culture, and faith, are brought to us by the great folks at Hillsdale College, a place where students study all the things that are beautiful in life and all the things that are good in life. And if you can't get to Hillsdale, Hillsdale will come to you with their free and terrific online courses. Go to hillsdale.edu to learn more.
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Download the free weather bug app from the App Store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high-free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work.
It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the SP 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com/slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com/slash podcast.
Paid for by Public Investing. Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc., member FINRA, and SIPC. Advisory services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice.
Complete disclosures available at public.com slash disclosures. Are you trying to get weight loss support through telehealth, but it feels overwhelming and rushed? Check out orderlymeds.com now. Orderlymeds.com was built to be different. Here, you connect with real doctors who take the time to understand your goals, review your eligibility, and guide you through a plan that's right for you.
Orderly Meds provides access to proven GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and terzepatide, including both name-brand options and personalized compound versions when appropriate.
So you have choices backed by clinical oversight, not guesswork. It's a simpler, more supportive telehealth experience designed around people who want clarity, care, and confidence in their weight loss journey. And your medication is delivered directly to your home in discrete packaging.
So your experience stays private from start to finish. Do your research, ask the right questions, then visit orderlymeds.com slash podcast for an exclusive offer. Again, that's orderlymeds.com slash podcast. Individual results may vary not medical advice eligibility required. See site for details.
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And we continue with Our American Stories and our story on Phyllis Wheatley. With Leslie Johnson at the American Village. in Montevallo, Alabama. When we last left off, Leslie was telling us about how Phyllis came to America as a young, sickly slave. And ended up in Boston, where she quickly surprised her owners with her ability to pick up literature.
and the English language.
So surprising was it? that they encouraged her in her pursuits.
something virtually unheard of. During that time, Let's pick up where we last left off. Here again. is Leslie. Around 14 years old or about 14 is when she published her first poem, which was anonymously put into a Rhode Island paper.
Nobody ever figured out it was her at that particular point in time. She learned how to read Greek and Latin. I think she could speak some too. Probably more than I would give a credit of. She probably can speak pretty well.
Based on what if you can pick up like English and Under 14 months, I don't know. Who knows how much she could do. But she also really liked the works of Roman poets, Ovid. and Virgil. One of them is called Niobe in Distress for Her Children Slain by Apollo.
It's a very long poem. It's good. But anyway, that wasn't her original poem, but when she was 12. She translated it from Greek to Latin and then to English. Just to Throw that out there.
So the years continue to roll by. And we find ourselves, as I said, Phyllis arrived in the country in 1761.
So she arrived just before. The series of taxes began to come from England.
So she Was there when the Stamp Act came around 1765, and colonists, everyone's upset about all of these varying taxes that are going on, what's changing about this country? And of course, going down the road, the shot heard around the world, and eventually the Boston Massacre, well, Boston Massacre occurs. She is completely distraught by this. She even wrote a short poem about the five individuals that died, which again she published. Anonymously, no one knew about it.
and she began to think about, I think, her place in the world. What is that supposed to be? And being encouraged to write by her master, she continued to. watching all these fantastic changes occur. And she began learning the Bible, reading to learning to read the Bible at a very young age, too, really absorbing the things that she read even as young as 12 years old.
The Wheatleys were very. Specific about that. They even actually, I believe that the Wheatleys were Methodist, and whenever they attended church, they took her with them and she sat with them. That sometimes allowed people to look at her and look at the Wheatleys a little bit differently in certain respects, but that did happen too. I bring that up because.
Another prominent figure of the time was Reverend George Whitfield, a very great English evangelical preacher. He was quite prominent in the day. Everyone was listening to his speeches. And he was a favorite, actually, of Mrs. Wheatley.
And he was engaged in a speaking tour that was going on across America, but he died quite suddenly. When he did, Mrs. Wheatley was quite distraught. And Phyllis, while it's not recorded that she was able to attend one of his revival meetings, she was privy to his speeches which were recorded and she resonated with a lot of things that he said. When he died, she decided to write a poem about him, a wonderful poem, actually.
It was actually published as a broadside in varying places, which included Boston, Newport, New York, and Philadelphia. As such, also at the time, she sent a poem to a countess living in Huntington in England by the name of Selena Hastings. She also said the column and Her condolences, as it were, because Miss Hastings was intending to make Reverend Whitfield a chaplain. in one of her mini churches. He prayed that grace in every heart might dwell.
He longed to see America excel. He charg'd his youth that every grace divine Should with full lustre in their conduct shine. That Saviour, which his soul did first receive The greatest gift that even a God can give. He freely offer'd to the numerous throng That on his lips with listening 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. 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. Washed in the fountain of redeeming blood, You shall be sons and kings and priests to God. Great Counters. We Americans revere thy name, And mingle in thy grief sincere.
The poem gets there. Her poem gets published in London. Just it happened. Mrs. Wheatley found out she was ecstatic.
Oh my goodness. This is amazing. you need to have more. I know you've written more. And by this particular point too, um Phyllis had actually always, the Wheatleys, like many people of prominent stature, would tend to bring other people to their home and host for different.
Occasions. Phyllis was also seen kind of as part of that, as an entertainment, as it were. She would read and write for varying guests. And so she decided that more of her works needed to be published. and so decided to try to get a number of subscribers within the city in order to push the the her book.
Phyllis had already written hundreds of poems by this particular point, so putting together a book would not have been hard for her. But it is extremely difficult in this particular time for anyone, even a gentleman. A gentleman of the time would still have a hard time getting any work of his published, let alone an African. Female slave. Though Sheep was unsuccessful the first time for a couple of reasons.
It's just before we're about to declare or war with Great Britain.
So the colonies are beginning to divide themselves. Into two distinct factions. You are either a patriot, a supporter of the cause of the independence and the separation of the colonies from Great Britain. or you are a British loyal supporter. A Tori.
The Wheatleys were Tories.
Something that was not uncommon, actually, at this particular time. There were a lot of them.
So. A Loyalist paper is one the many unpopular Loyalist papers is what Susannah Wheatley was was leaning towards when she uh tried to get these subscribers, so a lot of people didn't want to have anything to do with that. The other reason, and the one that probably makes the most sense, because it is true, is because no one would actually believe that a slave was capable of writing a volume of poetry. Husband though, John Wheatley said, Well we're going to have a meeting. I'm gonna gather together 18 of the most prominent men in Boston, several of which were ministers.
That included Reverend Samuel Cooper, James Bowdwin, the governor of Massachusetts at the time, many very large families who came. to this meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to determine whether or not she had written this poetry. Just imagine that. You know, you're...
18 years old. You've written all this poetry. You had a poem published in London because someone decided That's something. And now 18 figures that you probably are fairly familiar with, at least half of them. Boston, again, while it being a large city, you know who's in charge of everything here.
So, and you know, half of them are ministers, some of them are poets. They may not necessarily be published, but several of the ministers were poets. Half of them are loyalists, the other half are British patriots. All of them have come together. to find out whether or not you are capable of writing something and whether or not this is a lie.
Notwithstanding also it was illegal at the time or extremely frowned upon to be educating slaves in general.
So, this is about your entire future being placed on the line. This is unprecedented. No one's ever done this before. And you've been listening to the story of Phyllis Wheatley, as told by Leslie Johnson. at the American village in Montevallo.
Alabama. And it's the story and part of American history. Again, America is divided, as we've talked about before, between those who are in favor of the crown, those who are with the patriots, and those who are hiding under a rock or under a table hoping. For everything to pass, of course, it didn't. Then she had to face this question of whether A young black woman could write the poetry.
That she claimed to write. By the way, this would be a claim. that Auguste Wilson would have to make. the prominent African-American playwright. In this country, who wrote the play Fences and so many others.
He was questioned about his writing capabilities in the Pittsburgh public schools. And he left school. They didn't believe he could have written so well. Phyllis Whitley's story continues. Here on Our American Story.
No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need, from storm warnings to pollen levels, right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10-day forecasts wherever you are. It's hyper-local, real-time, customizable alerts. Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence.
Download the free weather bug app from the App Store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high-free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work.
It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the SP 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com/slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com/slash podcast.
Paid for by Public Investing. Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. member Finra and SIPC. Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool.
Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com/slash. disclosures. Lots of support through telehealth, but it feels overwhelming and rushed? Check out orderlymeds.com now.
Orderlymeds.com was built to be different. Here, you connect with real doctors who take the time to understand your goals, review your eligibility, and guide you through a plan that's right for you. Orderly Meds provides access to proven GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and terzepatide, including both name-brand options and personalized compound versions when appropriate.
So you have choices backed by clinical oversight, not guesswork. It's a simpler, more supportive telehealth experience designed around people who want clarity, care, and confidence in their weight loss journey. And your medication is delivered directly to your home in discrete packaging.
So your experience stays private from start to finish. Do your research, ask the right questions, then visit orderlymeds.com slash podcast for an exclusive offer. Again, that's orderlymeds.com slash podcast. Individual results may vary not medical advice eligibility required. See site for details.
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with Leslie Johnson at the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama. When we last left off, Phyllis Wheatley was set to publish her first book of poetry, but had to be put in front of a panel of Bostonian elites. would determine whether or not she actually penned. her own work. Let's return to the story here again.
is Leslie Johnson. There had been other African American poets before Phyllis Wheatley. But none of them had any published work, and none of them were sought after usually to determine whether or not they had the intelligence and the aptitude. for any kind of writing.
So I imagine she thought that her future was being placed in the hands of these gentlemen and their decision. You know, if they decided that that was wrong, that she didn't, then she could still be left in the confines of the situation she presently was in, even if it was a little bit better than most slaves at this time. But if they decided that she had, that could open up doors that didn't exist before. And not just for her, but for perhaps maybe other people after her, other... other African Americans.
We'll never know what actually happened. No one documented What happened on this historic attestation, this whole meeting that happened. But when it was all over, She was given a public attestation which said We whose names are underwritten do assure the world that the poems specified in the following page were, as we verily believe, written by Phyllis. a young negro girl, who was but a few years since brought an uncultivated barbarian from Africa, and has ever since been and now is under the disadvantage of serving as a slave in a family in this town. she has been examined by some of the best judges, and is thought qualified to write them.
And that document was signed by every gentleman who was present at that meeting. books called Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. And it was, again... It's great. Great triumph.
No one had ever done this before. It's the first African-American poet to ever have a published work ever. The publisher actually of the book actually went on to say that her work consisted of one of the greatest instances of pure unassisted genius the world has ever seen. And he pointed out that she was, in fact, a native of Africa and had not left it till she was nearly eight years old, with zero training in English. did not know English, couldn't speak English, couldn't read or write, to this, and this is before or close to the age of 20.
So as a result, she was given leave by her mistress Susanna. To go to England so that she could oversee the book's publication. She was also helped by that same countess, Selena Hastings, I talked about a little bit earlier. Because she's One of the people who helped facilitate this. She's very well received by the English in England by this particular point, even though it had not been the sticking point yet, because the war for independence is about to happen.
English people, they didn't care very much for slavery. There were many more abolitionists at that particular point who were already looking towards that.
So when she arrived... Not only were they just impressed with her intelligence, her demure, her entire countenance, she was also considered, as a child, a very genial, precocious child. And they even at the time, while she was there, criticized the Wheatleys for that she was still a slave after this accomplishment. But while she was there, she met a lot of prominent gentry, the Earl of Dartmouth at the time, and Brooke Watson, another supporter of hers who would later become the mayor of London. Benjamin Franklin actually.
Had been in London around that time, and he actually called upon her. He heard about Phyllis Wheatley, and was like, He goes, you know, he came and he ended up writing a letter to another friend of his. Like, I did I visited the young mistress, Phyllis Wheatley, I and tried to, you know. Find out what I could do for her. I don't believe I could do anything, but maybe you can.
But he found her to be, you know, quite intelligent and enjoyed her company for the brief amount of time. She was even invited to meet King George III. and the royal family. Also something that was very Unusual. People don't just meet the king.
Unfortunately, she was not able to meet King George or the royal family because by this particular point, Susanna Wheatley had fallen ill. of what the illness was is not recorded.
So they had to make the journey back home. As we all know, really any boat trip that anyone takes is going to take a bit of time. And I imagine from Boston to England, that was at least three or four months of your time on ship.
So. She goes back home. Before Christmas. Susanna Wheatley's health has not improved by this point. At some point she is summoned by both John and Susannah Wheatley and they call her over and meet her in the parlor.
sit her down in between them. and it was their desire to free her, which they did. They did shortly after she returned home from England. Whether or not they freed her because of the publication of the book, the criticism they may have received from the English, Or because they wanted to. We don't really know.
I like to think that it's because they wanted her to have a better life of her own, but I also understand the conventions of the time, and that may not necessarily be true. And if we are thinking about social standing and status, You might be more concerned with your reputation than such things. Again, she was treated very well. by all accounts and And according to what I've also read though, they were very fond of her. I think that um Mrs.
Wheatley even considered her closer to uh a child. that she helped raise as much as a slave, So they were able to free her. That was around, yeah, the fall of 1773. In the spring of 1774. Two things happened.
Susanna Wheatley died. And the British. landed in Boston. Also, around this time, she also had found out that George Washington had been made commander-in-chief of a Continental Army at this point, and she was a very big. George Washington fan.
I guess she's not alone. There's a lot of people who are George Washington fans out there.
So. Um She wrote a poem about him actually and carried correspondence with George Washington a few times. Before eventually getting correspondence back, he was actually apologetic that he was not able to speak with her sooner. Uh Yeah. Shall I to Washington their praise recite?
Enough thou knowest in the fields of fight. Thee, first in peace and honours, we demand The grace and glory of thy martial band. Famed for thy valour, for thy virtues more Hear every tongue thy guardian aid implore. One century scarce performed its destined round When Gaelic powers Columbia's fury found. And so may you, whoever dares disgrace The land of freedom's heaven-defended race.
Fixed are the eyes of nations on the scales For in their hopes Columbia's arm prevails. Anon Britannia droops the pensive head. While round increase the rising hills of dead. Ah. cruel blindness to Columbia State.
Laments thy thirst of boundless power too late Proceed, great chief, with virtue on thy side, Thy every action let the goddess guide. A crown, a mansion, a throne that shine. with gold unfading. Washington be thine. Mm.
But anyway, after the British came in 1774, John Wheatley. fled. Again, he was a loyalist, so. By this point, the Wheatley children are out of the house. Mary Wheatley is married to someone else, so.
Phyllis was sent to live with her for a period of time. She left Boston because of this. She doesn't return for. three or four years. By the time she comes back, about 1776 or so.
The world had sort of moved on without her. While she did, of course, receive a specific amount of compensation for her first volume of poetry, she didn't get all of it, and uh she had one more um uh submission on into the Boston Evening Post and not too long after that, December 5th, 1784, she died. There's no recorded cause of her death, I imagine, just due to dwindling funds, being poor, living in filth, which is a truly unhappy ending to what was a a very amazing person. who, in my opinion, was probably born way too early. to be truly appreciated for the kind of stir that she made.
Someone has to be first. It happened to be her. I think actually Henry Louis Gates Jr. spoke very he said it very eloquently. She was too black for her white compem contemporaries.
and not black enough for her future contemporaries.
So stuck in a rock in a hard place. But I think about a a teenager a teenager who did something no one else ever did. the story of the first published African American poet, Here. on our American stories. No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help.
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This is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time. And one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete my identity is something I am proud of.
But I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the blue square.
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Yeah.
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Mm-hmm.
