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How Phillis Wheatley captured the attention of the world - Charita Gainey

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In 1775, General George Washington received a poem from one of colonial America’s most famous writers. Its verses praised the burgeoning revolution, invoking the goddess of their new nation to aid the general’s cause. But this ode to liberty wasn’t written by some aloof aristocratic admirer. Its author was a young enslaved Black woman. Charita Gainey details the works of poet Phillis Wheatley.

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In 18th century colonial America, not many African Americans were being published. Why do you think Phillis Wheatley’s work was so appealing to white American and European audiences?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Charita Gainey
  • Director Gavin Edwards, Movult
  • Narrator Christina Greer
  • Music Stephen LaRosa
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Associate Producer Sazia Afrin
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Iseult Gillespie
  • Fact-Checker Charles Wallace

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