Though Phillis Wheatley did not die a slave, she lived most of her life as a slave for one family. In certain ways, Phillis Wheatley was fortunate. Her owners treated her well, teaching her to read and write when she showed intellectual promise. Eventually, they released her from slavery to live the rest of her life in freedom. She became a celebrated poet and a major voice on the America literary scene. She was one of America’s first female poets, and its first black woman poet. Primary source materials bring to life the life and works of this remarkable woman.