Phillis Wheatley: Poems Lesson Plan

The poems in this lesson plan constitute a wide selection of Wheatley's poems, primarily those that were published in her book Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral. Although many of these poems were published to tremendous acclaim across the thirteen colonies, Wheatley was only able to publish a book and give readings in the United Kingdom, since a colonial—and then United States—audience refused to receive a Black poet. The works did not appear as a book until after Wheatley's death and after the United States became the United States. However, she gained acclaim over the subsequent centuries, and is now considered the first Black American poet.