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Phillis Wheatley arrived in Boston from Africa at the age of seven. Although John and Susannah Wheatley bought her as a slave, they recognized that she was bright and educated her with their two children. The publication in 1773 of her Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral marked the first published book by an African American. Writing under her own name instead of using a made up name was also unusual for a woman in that period. The themes in Phyllis' poems reflect her New England education and upbringing.

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