Dec. 31, 2024

Evangelical Mister: Phillis Wheatley

Evangelical Mister: Phillis Wheatley
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Season 1

Have you ever found comfort in a familiar brew and the nostalgia it brings? Join us for a cozy evening where Kate and Bradley indulge in our go-to drinks—Modelo for Kate, and a Summer Shandy for Bradley—while reminiscing about the quirky world of high school yearbooks and the elusive perfect senior quote. Our light-hearted chat meanders through laughter, a bit of leg-slapping fun, and the shared joy of reconnecting with the simple pleasures of life.

Journey with us back to the 18th century as we recount the extraordinary life of Phillis Wheatley, America's first African-American published poet. We explore her remarkable resilience and prowess, from her early years in the Wheatley household to her bold literary advances that captured the attention of figures like George Washington. Through her story, we touch on the societal barriers she faced and her enduring legacy, shedding light on the racial prejudices that shadowed her incredible talents.

As we unravel Wheatley's interactions with notable contemporaries such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, we ponder the contrast between her eloquent, formal exchanges and today’s casual digital communications. We also reflect on her personal life, including her marriage to John Peters and the challenges they faced together. This episode is a heartfelt tribute to Wheatley's legacy and an invitation to appreciate the courage and brilliance of those who paved the way despite the odds.


The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley by David Waldstreicher

https://amzn.to/4go0iLD

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillis_Wheatley

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/phillis-wheatley

https://npg.si.edu/blog/phillis-wheatley-her-life-poetry-and-legacy

https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/john-wheatley-purchases-a-slave-child.html

https://newporthistory.org/history-bytes-phillis-wheatleys-newport-mercury-connection/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COn%20Messrs.,Athenaeum%2C%20Newport%2C%20Rhode%20Island.

https://americansystemnow.com/phillis-wheatley-the-slave-girl-favored-by-the-muses/



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Chapters

00:10 - Late Night Beer Chat With Historians

03:06 - Remembering Senior Quotes and Phyllis Wheatley

09:17 - Phyllis Wheatley's Remarkable Education

15:30 - Phyllis Wheatley's Path to Poetry

28:07 - Phyllis Wheatley's Correspondence With Washington

32:35 - Phyllis Wheatley's Struggles and Legacy

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:10.175 --> 00:00:13.544
oh, hey there, jesus christ.

00:00:13.544 --> 00:00:23.484
I mean, if only we could like explain how you got yourself prepped for this one, that'd be.

00:00:23.484 --> 00:00:26.051
That'd be a feat in itself.

00:00:26.051 --> 00:00:31.707
Kate is looking for some energy right now.

00:00:31.748 --> 00:00:35.789
It's late, it's 10 o'clock, which isn't the latest we've ever done.

00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:38.709
No, it's not the latest, but it's on the later side.

00:00:38.709 --> 00:00:42.085
I'll be up front.

00:00:42.085 --> 00:00:48.465
These beers we're about to crack not a first, not a first.

00:00:48.465 --> 00:01:14.540
So, um, we may have had some prior to actual recording and that you know, as some people do, can make you lose some energy yes they don't call alcohol an upper no, that's, so sad I know, because it makes you so giddy sometimes I know, but then you stop and you're like yeah, it's like why did you stop that?

00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:17.328
I know, but uh, anywho.

00:01:17.548 --> 00:01:25.388
So hey, we're the history buffoons I'm kate and I'm bradley and we're kind of boring this time and we have our staples okay.

00:01:25.429 --> 00:01:29.387
So I don't consider that boring, I consider that hold on, I'm reaching for mine.

00:01:29.387 --> 00:01:35.447
I consider that consistency and um and uh.

00:01:35.447 --> 00:01:36.831
There's nothing wrong going.

00:01:36.831 --> 00:01:37.653
We.

00:01:37.692 --> 00:01:47.572
We try a lot of new beers I'm sorry, I'm just gonna start drinking while you talk, holy, but uh, I love how, how it drowns out the microphone when I open it.

00:01:47.572 --> 00:01:48.334
It's just so weird.

00:01:48.334 --> 00:01:54.009
But there's nothing wrong with going back to our standards that we like.

00:01:54.009 --> 00:01:56.352
Yeah, keep talking, I'm still drinking.

00:01:56.352 --> 00:01:57.135
Oh, yeah, I can tell.

00:01:57.135 --> 00:02:00.950
So Kate is currently down in a Modelo.

00:02:00.950 --> 00:02:02.423
Apparently it's chug season.

00:02:03.585 --> 00:02:04.207
I can't chug.

00:02:04.810 --> 00:02:05.611
I know I was joking.

00:02:06.381 --> 00:02:08.086
I'd be wearing it, and I don't really want to wear it.

00:02:08.167 --> 00:02:09.110
Yeah, please don't do that.

00:02:09.110 --> 00:02:15.933
And I'm having the classic summer shandy because, you know, in wintertime it's December.

00:02:15.933 --> 00:02:17.806
Why not have a summer shandy?

00:02:17.806 --> 00:02:23.907
And I'm okay with that because apparently, what a month or two ago, whatever it was?

00:02:23.907 --> 00:02:29.254
No, actually a couple months ago, I think, I even mentioned it on a podcast.

00:02:29.254 --> 00:02:32.640
I heard that it was year-round now.

00:02:32.661 --> 00:02:33.121
Yay for you.

00:02:33.641 --> 00:02:35.122
I mean, it's my go-to.

00:02:35.122 --> 00:02:39.366
I did have a celebration earlier which I was.

00:02:39.366 --> 00:02:42.388
Did I do that on the podcast?

00:02:42.388 --> 00:02:43.588
Yeah, I think I did, didn't I?

00:02:43.588 --> 00:02:45.090
I don't remember now.

00:02:45.230 --> 00:02:49.794
All I can think of celebrate good times, come on.

00:02:49.794 --> 00:02:50.895
That's not the words, is it?

00:02:51.414 --> 00:02:54.356
You need to stop hitting your legs like that.

00:02:54.356 --> 00:02:57.266
I need my energy.

00:02:59.300 --> 00:02:59.921
Okay, what's the lyrics?

00:02:59.942 --> 00:03:01.443
Celebrate good times come on.

00:03:01.443 --> 00:03:02.085
Is it good times?

00:03:02.085 --> 00:03:02.526
I believe?

00:03:02.545 --> 00:03:03.867
so Cool, I'm good.

00:03:04.348 --> 00:03:06.050
I'm good, all right.

00:03:06.050 --> 00:03:07.052
Podcast over break Good times.

00:03:07.052 --> 00:03:07.693
Is it good times, I believe?

00:03:07.693 --> 00:03:08.474
So Cool, I'm good, I'm good, alright.

00:03:08.474 --> 00:03:09.175
Podcast over she's good folks.

00:03:09.175 --> 00:03:09.836
Peace out, welp.

00:03:10.518 --> 00:03:11.438
I don't have my story yet.

00:03:12.461 --> 00:03:19.818
Oh Well, hey, so real quick, though I assume you have a question for me yes.

00:03:19.818 --> 00:03:22.606
Yeah, okay, can I ask you a question first then?

00:03:24.050 --> 00:03:24.372
Yeah.

00:03:26.621 --> 00:03:27.866
Wow, so matter of fact.

00:03:27.866 --> 00:03:29.906
This is not how we planned it.

00:03:30.908 --> 00:03:31.110
Yes.

00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:41.211
No, so when you were a senior in high school like most seniors in high school, they have a yearbook Did you do a senior quote?

00:03:42.734 --> 00:03:43.294
We did not.

00:03:43.555 --> 00:03:44.175
You did not.

00:03:44.175 --> 00:03:49.040
No, you do a senior quote.

00:03:49.040 --> 00:03:49.282
We did not.

00:03:49.282 --> 00:03:49.582
You did not.

00:03:49.582 --> 00:04:03.682
No, okay, the reason why I ask is I was listening to some songs the other day and the song that came on which I will say in a moment after I say which one I did use um, I always wanted to use a line from the song as my senior quote, but my favorite band is nirvana.

00:04:04.224 --> 00:04:07.012
The one I wanted to really use is not Nirvana.

00:04:07.012 --> 00:04:11.251
So in my brain I thought I was obligated to use a Nirvana quote.

00:04:11.251 --> 00:04:19.209
And there's a line in a song off the Nevermind album saying our little group has always been and always will until the end.

00:04:19.209 --> 00:04:23.069
When you're in high school, you think you're going to be with your buddies all the time.

00:04:23.069 --> 00:04:25.345
For sure, that is horseshit.

00:04:25.345 --> 00:04:27.983
So things happen.

00:04:27.983 --> 00:04:29.666
People move away, move away.

00:04:29.666 --> 00:04:31.913
Things happen, separation, whatever.

00:04:31.913 --> 00:04:44.312
So the other thing that really irritates me about my senior senior quote was that the dumb fucking bitches on the on the yearbook committee fucking corrected the.

00:04:44.312 --> 00:04:49.132
The wording it was a quote, but they so it's.

00:04:49.132 --> 00:04:55.920
Our little group has always been and always will until the end is in the lyrics in the song will be.

00:04:56.221 --> 00:04:58.024
They corrected it to will be, and I'm like what the fuck?

00:04:58.024 --> 00:05:03.672
That's not what I put down, and that's not what I put down and that's not the line.

00:05:03.672 --> 00:05:05.394
So that really pissed me off.

00:05:05.533 --> 00:05:05.754
Yeah.

00:05:06.314 --> 00:05:15.170
So the the song that I wanted to use the line from was it's called pepper by the butthole surfers.

00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:20.249
Wow, yes, it's fan fucking task, and this is another reason why I'm disappointed.

00:05:20.249 --> 00:05:26.800
So the quote I used was too many words so I couldn't put who it was by, so it's just a quote.

00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:37.189
It was never not like Nirvana under it or something yeah but the the line from the song is you never know just how you look through someone else's eyes.

00:05:37.189 --> 00:05:47.821
And then I could have put the butthole surfers and I, it's not like I regret it, I'm like, oh my god, my life is over because I didn't do it.

00:05:47.821 --> 00:06:04.709
I just I wish I would have used that, because it's so more, so much more prevalent to like than the one I used, because people, things happen, people move away, like you said, whatever, and uh, yeah, it's like, well, shit what made you ask question?

00:06:05.071 --> 00:06:06.392
I listened to the song the other day.

00:06:06.613 --> 00:06:06.814
Yeah.

00:06:07.100 --> 00:06:08.004
And it just reminded me.

00:06:08.064 --> 00:06:09.488
I'm like the Butthole Surfers.

00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:16.833
Yeah, I listened to Pepper the other day and I guess I never really asked if you ever had a senior quote, or anything.

00:06:16.833 --> 00:06:21.129
No, they didn't do that, no but we did and I picked the wrong one.

00:06:21.129 --> 00:06:24.002
So I just wanted to ask that.

00:06:24.423 --> 00:06:27.831
I do remember my class's song.

00:06:28.733 --> 00:06:29.173
What was it?

00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:31.663
Dream On by Aerosmith.

00:06:32.485 --> 00:06:33.026
Wow, really.

00:06:33.567 --> 00:06:33.968
Mm-hmm.

00:06:34.470 --> 00:06:34.850
That's a.

00:06:34.992 --> 00:06:37.204
Super fun, I couldn't care less.

00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:40.723
I say that's a, that's not a bold move.

00:06:40.723 --> 00:06:47.822
But okay, I don't Shit, I don't remember mine and and I'm not gonna try and remember it because it's irrelevant.

00:06:47.901 --> 00:06:54.101
But well, I mean, as we're kind of talking about school, yeah, did you ever have to write poetry in school?

00:06:55.184 --> 00:06:58.170
I mean, I probably had to write something.

00:06:58.170 --> 00:07:03.826
I don't recall any poetry that I've ever uh penned a paper, but uh, I would.

00:07:03.826 --> 00:07:04.708
I would imagine I did.

00:07:04.708 --> 00:07:05.810
Yeah, did you?

00:07:07.072 --> 00:07:15.334
Yes, Um, but I mostly remember reading and like trying to interpret poetry, like William um, William Blake.

00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:15.841
Yep.

00:07:15.841 --> 00:07:18.023
Um good old bill.

00:07:18.504 --> 00:07:34.994
Yeah, Um, and my good friend has um a poetry book out on Amazon called Pieces of Me by Christina Zill, and so I read a lot of her works before she published.

00:07:35.295 --> 00:07:35.514
Right.

00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:44.074
And then I've got some poetry books that are called the Poetry Pharmacy or something like that.

00:07:44.180 --> 00:07:45.233
The Poetry Pharmacy or something like that.

00:07:45.233 --> 00:07:45.779
The Poetry Pharmacy, yeah.

00:07:46.440 --> 00:08:00.507
And the author essentially pulled poetry from different people and he categorized them in a way that, if you're feeling depressed, read these poems.

00:08:00.860 --> 00:08:04.350
Oh, so it's like a prescription for a certain feeling or whatever.

00:08:04.451 --> 00:08:08.026
Okay, yeah, so he's got two of those books and those are really fascinating.

00:08:08.026 --> 00:08:20.665
I actually really really like it yeah, that's interesting um, one would be like aging parents read this poem like it's really really kind of obscure in some ways sure um, but uh, I really like that too.

00:08:20.665 --> 00:08:21.487
Okay, anyway.

00:08:21.548 --> 00:08:32.910
So we're actually going to talk about america's first african-american published poet so you don't have a question for me then, or was that the question?

00:08:32.931 --> 00:08:35.267
my question was did you ever write poetry?

00:08:35.267 --> 00:08:45.087
I'm just making sure, just making sure pay attention, so her name is phyllis wheatley phyllis wheatley?

00:08:45.087 --> 00:09:02.032
Yes, never heard of her okay so phyllis wheatley in 1761 oh, wow, okay was transported as cargo oh dear with 95 other slaves.

00:09:02.273 --> 00:09:02.613
Oh, wow.

00:09:04.174 --> 00:09:05.917
To Boston Massachusetts.

00:09:07.221 --> 00:09:08.245
Where was she coming from?

00:09:08.245 --> 00:09:09.288
Africa, africa, okay.

00:09:10.260 --> 00:09:11.907
Men, women, children.

00:09:12.207 --> 00:09:12.328
Yep.

00:09:13.280 --> 00:09:16.309
Boston was a colony at the time.

00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:16.850
Correct.

00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:21.812
So Bostonians became aware of these shipments.

00:09:21.812 --> 00:09:25.871
They had shipments come in all the time, I would imagine, so yeah, and they were actuallyments come in all the time, I would imagine.

00:09:25.871 --> 00:09:38.669
So, yeah, and, and they were actually advertised in some of the the newspapers really wow yeah, so um boston had four newspapers um, and each of them advertised for the slave trade.

00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:43.284
That's crazy, yeah I mean obviously product of the times, but you think about that.

00:09:43.284 --> 00:09:47.412
It's like that's just wild that they would hey get your slaves here.

00:09:47.672 --> 00:09:48.393
Yeah, exactly.

00:09:48.413 --> 00:09:49.335
It's like what the fuck?

00:09:49.375 --> 00:09:49.554
Yeah.

00:09:49.554 --> 00:09:55.597
So one ad promoted the sale of prime young slaves.

00:09:55.597 --> 00:10:02.110
Oh geez, Even offering a hardy male child about a month old for free.

00:10:02.432 --> 00:10:02.751
What.

00:10:03.232 --> 00:10:03.714
Mm-hmm.

00:10:04.541 --> 00:10:06.446
Buy one, get one free kind of thing of.

00:10:06.525 --> 00:10:07.929
Yeah, jesus can I?

00:10:07.970 --> 00:10:13.889
can I ask something real quick does this story get better in terms of like yes?

00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:21.785
Yes, okay just because, like we talked about it and you're, you're not always supposed to depress me.

00:10:21.785 --> 00:10:26.331
Yeah, I'm supposed to learn and have fun, not learn and get depressed.

00:10:26.331 --> 00:10:28.514
All right, continue.

00:10:28.514 --> 00:10:29.056
I apologize.

00:10:29.340 --> 00:10:34.251
So on, this ship was a seven-year-old.

00:10:34.591 --> 00:10:34.893
Okay.

00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:37.048
Or eight, depending on where you read it.

00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:41.927
Well, I mean left page or right page, or different book.

00:10:41.927 --> 00:10:42.450
Okay, anyways.

00:10:45.062 --> 00:11:00.408
So, mrs Susanna Wheatley Sus suzanna wheatley, and this is the mother came to the docks, okay, oh, and essentially window shopped, so I'm she's looking for a slave from a little porthole no no, she's.

00:11:00.408 --> 00:11:01.551
She probably got like.

00:11:01.551 --> 00:11:07.048
All these slaves are either probably still on the ship or they got like tallied up on the dock.

00:11:07.109 --> 00:11:08.784
I'm sure, and she's walking up and down.

00:11:08.784 --> 00:11:09.628
Yeah, I'm sure.

00:11:10.782 --> 00:11:11.785
She saw this little girl.

00:11:11.785 --> 00:11:18.113
Okay, Susanna's husband is John Wheatley and he was a very successful merchant and tailor.

00:11:18.113 --> 00:11:22.291
He sold tea, rice, fish, turpentine.

00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.735
Did he go under when they put all the tea in the harbor?

00:11:25.735 --> 00:11:27.181
I don't believe so.

00:11:27.341 --> 00:11:33.855
No, um, but okay, just making sure um, but he also made candles from whale oil.

00:11:33.855 --> 00:11:35.198
Oh, okay um.

00:11:35.198 --> 00:11:43.668
So he owned a sloop, which is a small single masted ship okay he called it the l Packet and he would.

00:11:43.668 --> 00:11:49.274
I was going to say drive right, sail Steer.

00:11:49.715 --> 00:11:51.937
What Drive?

00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:56.109
He would sail during, like whaling expeditions.

00:11:56.109 --> 00:12:02.945
Okay, sure, he also had warehouses, real estate, so very prominent in Boston Sounds like it for sure.

00:12:02.945 --> 00:12:04.551
Yeah, very prominent in Boston.

00:12:04.551 --> 00:12:05.615
Sounds like it for sure.

00:12:05.615 --> 00:12:11.379
Yeah, so his businesses were actually brick struck structures on like one of their very widest roads called King street, all right.

00:12:11.379 --> 00:12:15.769
The rest of the cities was still kind of mostly built in in wood Sure.

00:12:15.769 --> 00:12:27.582
So um very prestigious to be on this street, in particular Fancy brick, and the Wheatley's house was remembered as being a hospitable mansion oh, yeah, that's nice.

00:12:27.802 --> 00:12:32.221
I mean, at least they were hospitable, yeah and they were staffed by a few slaves.

00:12:32.442 --> 00:12:34.410
Well, of course, because they're not going to do the work.

00:12:34.410 --> 00:12:41.910
So they also toured town in a carriage, and they were only one of a few were that were privately owned.

00:12:41.910 --> 00:12:47.784
As many as the city dwellers were would walk through town because it was small enough.

00:12:48.059 --> 00:12:52.491
Well small enough and some people can't afford carriages and whatever, so that makes sense.

00:12:52.759 --> 00:13:00.182
So the Wheatleys purchased this frail, sickly girl to be a domestic servant for Susanna, and she was seven.

00:13:00.243 --> 00:13:01.548
at the time you said right, yes, Okay.

00:13:02.201 --> 00:13:15.509
So she was actually purchased pretty quickly and with very little money, as the captain of the ship wanted to make a small profit before she died Like that's how sickly she was, oh, so like they thought she was like on her deathbed kind of sickly.

00:13:15.509 --> 00:13:17.687
Yeah, they thought that she was terminally ill.

00:13:17.846 --> 00:13:19.010
Oh, dear, wow, okay.

00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:23.432
She didn't have like a great health throughout her life.

00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:24.683
Well, I can't imagine.

00:13:24.744 --> 00:13:40.461
I mean it was a very short life to begin with, but um, so she was given the name phyllis wheatley, okay, named after the ship phyllis that brought her in and obviously the wheatleys and the owner's last name, and that was prevalent in the time was it really?

00:13:40.782 --> 00:13:48.274
I find that odd actually, just because the way they regarded the slave people is just literally property.

00:13:48.274 --> 00:13:51.168
It's funny that they would actually give them their last name.

00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:56.270
There might be a difference as well as northern slaves versus southern slaves.

00:13:56.270 --> 00:13:57.153
I'm sure there was.

00:13:57.153 --> 00:13:58.745
Yeah for sure, and I don't know that answer.

00:13:59.321 --> 00:14:00.203
But it just I don't know.

00:14:00.203 --> 00:14:02.769
It just strikes me as odd that they would do that.

00:14:02.809 --> 00:14:07.302
But okay, fair enough know, it just strikes me as odd.

00:14:07.302 --> 00:14:08.586
Yeah, they would do that, but okay, fair enough.

00:14:08.586 --> 00:14:12.135
So susanna quickly realized that phyllis possessed an exceptional ability to learn.

00:14:12.155 --> 00:14:23.774
Oh, so she was pretty smart, yes, so john wheatley later recounted quote without any assistance from school education and by only what she taught.

00:14:23.774 --> 00:14:25.056
She was taught in the family.

00:14:25.056 --> 00:14:43.046
She, in 16 months time from her arrival, attained the english language oh wow, to which she was an utter stranger before to such a degree as to read any the most difficult parts of the sacred writings, to the great astonishment of all who heard her end quote.

00:14:44.107 --> 00:14:50.226
I mean, I grew up with just English, learning another language, especially at that age of seven.

00:14:50.226 --> 00:14:52.687
I couldn't even fathom that.

00:14:52.826 --> 00:14:53.067
Yeah.

00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:58.610
Like I can, me gusta cerveza, I like beer Same.

00:14:58.669 --> 00:14:58.951
Yeah.

00:15:01.361 --> 00:15:02.647
That's why we have them at the beginning.

00:15:02.647 --> 00:15:04.025
We mix it up once in a great while, but we stick to the beer Anyways.

00:15:04.025 --> 00:15:07.451
That's why we have them at the beginning of we mix it up once in a great while, but we so we stick to the beer anyways.

00:15:07.451 --> 00:15:08.894
Yeah, that's impressive.

00:15:08.894 --> 00:15:11.784
I mean eight, 16 months, 16 months.

00:15:12.267 --> 00:15:30.355
I mean that's wow okay so suzanna was a woman who also loved education all right um, and it wasn't super clear as to who taught Phyllis, but they think it was kind of more of a collective family project led by Susanna and then eventually her 18-year-old daughter Mary.

00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:34.951
I was going to just ask so is that their actual only kid?

00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:40.072
So they have Mary and Nathaniel, and they are twins, oh okay, and they are 18.

00:15:40.072 --> 00:15:43.750
Gotcha, they have other slaves, and then they also have Phyllis.

00:15:44.340 --> 00:15:44.600
Okay.

00:15:44.802 --> 00:15:48.912
Okay, and Phyllis was meant to specifically work with Susanna Sure.

00:15:48.912 --> 00:16:01.119
So John Wheatley was known as a progressive throughout New England and his family basically afforded Phyllis an education.

00:16:01.139 --> 00:16:12.552
Okay, and for an enslaved person is incredibly, incredibly unusual yeah, very rare, because they usually didn't waste their time, money, resources, whatever on on that.

00:16:12.552 --> 00:16:14.445
They just wanted them for a specific task.

00:16:14.445 --> 00:16:15.326
And you do that.

00:16:15.488 --> 00:16:24.384
Yeah, okay so their instruction covered a wide range of subjects reading, writing, religion, uh language, literature, history.

00:16:24.384 --> 00:16:40.376
She was also immersed in the Bible, astronomy, geography, british literature, particularly from John Milton and Alexander Pope, okay and Greek and Latin classics from Virgil Ovid, terence and Homer.

00:16:40.376 --> 00:16:47.320
Do you know why I know Alexander Pope?

00:16:47.320 --> 00:16:51.821
Yes, how homer.

00:16:51.821 --> 00:16:52.403
Do you know why I know?

00:16:52.423 --> 00:16:52.945
alexander pope.

00:16:52.945 --> 00:16:55.171
Yes, how I am going to guess from dan brown's book the da vinci code.

00:16:55.171 --> 00:16:55.712
I got it from the movie.

00:16:55.712 --> 00:16:58.880
But yes, yes, all right, anyway, sorry, I'm like oh, alexander pope, I know that guy.

00:16:58.880 --> 00:17:01.684
A pope, a pope and turd.

00:17:01.684 --> 00:17:03.606
Anyways, continue.

00:17:03.788 --> 00:17:07.833
So within four years she learned to read and write fully.

00:17:07.833 --> 00:17:08.834
Oh wow.

00:17:09.035 --> 00:17:10.256
Yeah, she was fluent.

00:17:10.256 --> 00:17:12.231
I mean that's pretty impressive yeah.

00:17:13.564 --> 00:17:23.301
At 13 to 14 years old, phyllis published her first poem Wow In the Newport Rhode Island newspaper called the Newport Mercury Okay.

00:17:23.301 --> 00:17:24.903
Rhode Island newspaper called the Newport Mercury Okay.

00:17:24.903 --> 00:17:30.965
It was tucked away on the third page on December 21st, 1767 edition Wow.

00:17:30.965 --> 00:17:35.068
And her poem was called on Mr.

00:17:35.068 --> 00:17:39.211
It doesn't say Mr.

00:17:39.211 --> 00:17:50.876
It's measures like M-E-S-S-R-S, like multiple misters, maybe M-E say it again M-E-S-S-R-S, like multiple misters maybe M-E say it again M-E-S-S-R-S, that's weird.

00:17:50.876 --> 00:17:57.421
Almost like Mrs M-R-S Right but Okay, I'm unfamiliar with that.

00:17:57.441 --> 00:18:02.491
I'm just going to say misters, because I'm not really sure, but misters hussy and coughing, that's the title.

00:18:02.491 --> 00:18:04.916
Okay, mr Hussie and Coughing, that's the title.

00:18:04.916 --> 00:18:12.432
So this poem was published in Rhode Island as it could have been the first paper to actually accept her poem.

00:18:12.432 --> 00:18:19.490
She tried a lot to get her poems published and this was probably one of the first that would actually accept it.

00:18:19.941 --> 00:18:27.930
Do you find it funny that she mastered the English language in 16 months and you're almost 40 and you haven't, anyways, continue.

00:18:29.721 --> 00:18:30.285
I need a beer.

00:18:35.071 --> 00:18:36.236
You are so rude.

00:18:38.724 --> 00:18:38.924
I mean.

00:18:38.984 --> 00:18:40.088
I saw an opportunity.

00:18:40.088 --> 00:18:40.691
Wow.

00:18:40.691 --> 00:18:46.767
I ran with it Not to derail you.

00:18:46.767 --> 00:18:48.010
I apologize.

00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:53.140
So the poem is a religious reflection of a near-death experience.

00:18:53.140 --> 00:18:54.425
You are so rude.

00:18:57.642 --> 00:18:59.549
Now it's like sticking in your brain.

00:18:59.549 --> 00:19:02.090
You're like that bastard.

00:19:04.482 --> 00:19:09.651
I'm sorry, Kate, Okay, so the poem was about near-death experience of these two sailors.

00:19:09.651 --> 00:19:19.653
Okay, wheatley uses the sailors' ordeal as a metaphor for the human condition, highlighting the fragility of life and importance of faith.

00:19:19.653 --> 00:19:30.801
And da-da-da-da, sure, sure, but it was the elegy of mr george whitefield that brought wheatley national renown.

00:19:30.801 --> 00:19:35.148
Renown, renown renown yes again.

00:19:35.710 --> 00:19:41.424
I stand by what I said before yes, um so are you going to get into who that person is?

00:19:41.424 --> 00:19:42.847
Yeah, okay um.

00:19:42.887 --> 00:19:55.855
George whitefield was an evangelical mister oh, that was fantastic, oh my god oh, that was so good, thank you.

00:19:56.016 --> 00:20:04.086
Thank you for doing that I'm getting lightheaded oh, my god, that was.

00:20:04.086 --> 00:20:10.273
That was fantastic.

00:20:10.273 --> 00:20:12.175
I'm getting a headache from laughing too much.

00:20:12.175 --> 00:20:18.741
Oh, I'm trying to suppress it so I don't just sit here sounding like a maniacal goofball.

00:20:18.741 --> 00:20:26.734
Okay, see, like that case in point, it's like she knew what I was going to do, so she acted it out.

00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:28.423
Oh, he was a minister.

00:20:31.010 --> 00:20:31.592
Or a mister.

00:20:31.592 --> 00:20:34.247
I mean, he probably was a mister too.

00:20:34.247 --> 00:20:37.909
I guess I love the fact that you said minister.

00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:45.932
Okay, he was an evangelical minister.

00:20:47.239 --> 00:20:47.780
Mr Minister.

00:20:49.778 --> 00:20:52.613
And he had like widespread recognition already.

00:20:52.613 --> 00:20:59.663
Okay, so Wheatley published the poem in a pamphlet in Boston, newport, philadelphia.

00:21:00.064 --> 00:21:00.964
Wait, what's his name?

00:21:02.046 --> 00:21:02.787
George Whitefield.

00:21:03.028 --> 00:21:03.949
Okay, you said Wheatley.

00:21:04.750 --> 00:21:05.711
Yeah, phyllis.

00:21:05.711 --> 00:21:07.903
Phyllis Wheatley published the poem.

00:21:08.736 --> 00:21:09.719
Oh, I see.

00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:10.221
Yeah.

00:21:10.381 --> 00:21:11.325
Okay, I see what you're doing.

00:21:12.355 --> 00:21:14.700
Yeah, so it was published in boston, newport and philadelphia.

00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:21.057
Okay, and it was published alongside his um funeral sermon.

00:21:21.057 --> 00:21:46.107
Oh, so, like the sermon was printed and her poem right next to it, both regarding george whitefield I didn't know, misters did sermons so this happened in 1771 okay um, and it brought her into the spotlight, wow so it just kind of took off, yes, just because it was close to his sermon, I mean.

00:21:46.188 --> 00:21:56.704
So it was obviously saw a lot because of that yes, yeah, okay, but it was in reference to him, so like it was kind of like a paired oh, writing it was, it was done on purpose.

00:21:56.704 --> 00:22:04.499
Yes, yes, okay so, with susanna's support, phyllis actually advertised for her first poetry book.

00:22:04.499 --> 00:22:14.931
Oh, she asked for subscribers okay so basically like pre-orders yeah give me money, I'll give you book, in that order.

00:22:17.823 --> 00:22:29.784
Things haven't changed give me money, I'll give you book, wow um, unfortunately um it didn't work out that way here.

00:22:29.844 --> 00:22:34.431
Unfortunately, colonists weren't exactly keen on supporting black authors.

00:22:34.835 --> 00:22:35.838
Yeah, which is weird.

00:22:36.795 --> 00:22:40.644
Yeah, so Phyllis and the Wheatleys actually went to London to look for a publisher.

00:22:40.644 --> 00:22:44.124
Really, yeah, they're like that's cross the Atlantic.

00:22:44.124 --> 00:22:45.441
Do you remember how you got here?

00:22:46.135 --> 00:22:48.616
Did it take them two and a half months to get there, like when they went?

00:22:48.657 --> 00:22:52.319
to Roanoke, I don't know, take them two and a half months to get there, like when they went to rowan oak, I don't know.

00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.443
Um, so, before she actually went to london.

00:22:54.443 --> 00:23:01.665
Yeah, the colonists, they didn't believe that a black woman could write these poems oh, so they just thought they were like faking it.

00:23:01.766 --> 00:23:04.701
Yes, some white person wrote yeah, and that's so.

00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:10.020
She wasn't getting any support, which is why she went to london but, you know what the colonists did what they do.

00:23:10.040 --> 00:23:10.321
They do.

00:23:10.762 --> 00:23:12.547
They had a tribunal for her.

00:23:12.547 --> 00:23:14.751
Oh, thank God, I know.

00:23:14.751 --> 00:23:23.847
They had to fix everything In 1772, Phyllis was questioned in the Boston Town Hall by 18 prominent men.

00:23:24.249 --> 00:23:24.710
Oh Jesus.

00:23:25.855 --> 00:23:33.731
Seven were ordained ministers, not misters, three poets and six loyalists to the british crown.

00:23:34.153 --> 00:23:46.240
I don't know who the other two were they were just probably at a pub and like hey, we need two more yeah those guys so some of the people that were of the 18.

00:23:46.260 --> 00:23:52.529
yeah, his excellency th Thomas Hutchinson, who was the governor of Massachusetts.

00:23:52.529 --> 00:23:58.044
Oh, reverend Samuel Mather, who is son of Cotton Mather.

00:23:58.945 --> 00:23:59.627
And I'll get to that.

00:23:59.627 --> 00:24:01.759
Oh, okay, I'm like I don't know who that is, but okay.

00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:03.943
You will, yes, you will.

00:24:03.943 --> 00:24:05.147
So, son of Cotton Mather.

00:24:05.394 --> 00:24:06.601
I will wait with bated breath.

00:24:06.954 --> 00:24:15.515
Reverend Mather Biles, who is nephew of Cotton Mather breath.

00:24:15.515 --> 00:24:16.978
Reverend mather biles, who was nephew of cotton mather.

00:24:16.998 --> 00:24:24.159
Cotton mather was one of the ministers in salem during the witch trials you know, it's really funny because I was literally just gonna ask a question on that.

00:24:24.179 --> 00:24:31.057
So okay, yes, that is kind of funny so his son, who was a reverend, and his nephew, who was a reverend, are two of these men?

00:24:31.057 --> 00:24:33.638
Um, then we have james bowden, who was a reverend, and his nephew, who was a reverend.

00:24:33.638 --> 00:24:34.059
Are two of these men?

00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:34.140
Wow?

00:24:34.140 --> 00:24:40.965
Then we have James Bowden, who was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin and a poet, oh, and John Hancock.

00:24:42.346 --> 00:24:43.607
I thought it was Herbie Hancock.

00:24:44.288 --> 00:24:44.729
Who's that?

00:24:45.630 --> 00:24:46.750
Have you ever seen, tommy Boy?

00:24:47.471 --> 00:24:47.852
Yeah.

00:24:50.555 --> 00:25:13.959
It's like put your John Hancock on's like everybody knows it's herbie hancock or whatever I don't know because he's an idiot great well, john hancock was the third president of the continental congress and signer of the declaration of penance, and everybody knows him because he is the biggest signature yeah, put your john hancock on yeah, and that's yeah anyway, so, of the 18 men, a majority of them were slaveholders, and one was even a slave dealer.

00:25:13.959 --> 00:25:21.357
Oh so, some even came to her home good lord before the tribunal to witness her writing.

00:25:21.357 --> 00:25:23.644
They said write about this.

00:25:23.884 --> 00:25:31.983
And she's like okay, yeah, watch me do it yeah, okay, do you want me to use calligraphy or?

00:25:31.983 --> 00:25:40.872
Yeah, right, well, she passed because they're like oh, I see it now okay yeah, so the statement declaring um?

00:25:41.252 --> 00:25:50.147
there was a statement declaring her as the author okay and it was signed by all 18 men did john john hancock signed it yes, he did.

00:25:50.248 --> 00:26:20.910
It was a really big it said quote we, whose names are underwritten, do assure the word 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.

00:26:20.910 --> 00:26:27.268
She has been examined by some of the best judges and is thought qualified to write them".

00:26:27.268 --> 00:26:31.790
Can't you just say she is who, who she says she is?

00:26:32.313 --> 00:26:48.343
can't you just say you're cool, yeah, whatever anyways in 1773 before phyllis wasn't feeling well, but she still went to london, okay, and she was accompanied by um nathaniel wheatley which is one of the sons.

00:26:48.884 --> 00:26:50.726
Oh, the son, that's right, okay, yeah, yeah.

00:26:51.326 --> 00:26:54.630
People loved her there, really Loved her.

00:26:54.630 --> 00:27:07.897
Okay, they were impressed by how graceful she was, how well she wrote, and she even met Countess Selena Hastings, who was Countess of Huntington, who was also a friend of Susanna Wheatley's.

00:27:07.897 --> 00:27:14.106
The Countess was so impressed that she helped Phyllis fund her book.

00:27:14.587 --> 00:27:15.209
Oh wow, really.

00:27:15.209 --> 00:27:16.310
Yes, that's impressive.

00:27:17.015 --> 00:27:23.867
So her book is called Poems on Various Subjects, religious and Moral, hmm, okay, okay.

00:27:23.867 --> 00:27:29.067
So during this time Miss Phyllis also met Benjamin Franklin.

00:27:29.575 --> 00:27:31.001
Oh, because he was over there at the time.

00:27:31.115 --> 00:27:35.048
He was over there on behalf time he was over there on the behalf of the colonies no one likes these taxes.

00:27:35.147 --> 00:27:40.441
Do something about this was he burying people in his home over there, or was that in france?

00:27:40.441 --> 00:27:41.482
Yeah, something like that.

00:27:41.482 --> 00:27:42.085
You ever hear that.

00:27:42.085 --> 00:27:43.126
What?

00:27:43.126 --> 00:27:59.326
Like the house he had I don't remember if it was in england or france, because I know he went no, I think it was england, but I could be wrong and like they excavated like a bunch of bodies yes, and I don't think they tied it to him, if I recall.

00:27:59.326 --> 00:28:02.723
It's just a weird story stay tuned, maybe, I don't know.

00:28:02.723 --> 00:28:05.284
Okay, so she got to meet.

00:28:07.047 --> 00:28:10.242
Benjamin and Franklin was just like yeah, I met her.

00:28:10.242 --> 00:28:11.239
Oh, pretty much that was it?

00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:11.480
what a dick.

00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:11.862
I don't think so.

00:28:11.862 --> 00:28:12.988
I think it was just like yeah, I met her.

00:28:13.008 --> 00:28:13.671
Oh, pretty much that was it?

00:28:13.691 --> 00:28:13.912
What a dick?

00:28:13.912 --> 00:28:14.434
I don't think so.

00:28:14.434 --> 00:28:15.780
I think it was just like yeah, I met her.

00:28:15.780 --> 00:28:16.242
I mean, yeah, whatever.

00:28:16.242 --> 00:28:26.390
He said this of their visit, quote upon your recommendation, I went to see the black poetess and offered her any services I could do for her.

00:28:26.390 --> 00:28:37.567
Before I left the house, I understood her master was there and had sent her to me but did not come into the room himself and I thought was not pleased with the visit.

00:28:37.567 --> 00:28:47.740
I should perhaps have inquired first for him, but I have heard nothing of him and I have nothing heard nothing of her and I have heard nothing since of her end.

00:28:47.780 --> 00:28:51.126
quote, that's it so it's like, yeah, I met her once.

00:28:51.406 --> 00:28:56.523
Yeah, it's like she came with her master, but I didn't meet her master, so then it was irrelevant.

00:28:56.523 --> 00:29:06.338
Then, yeah, I don't know, that's weird, that's literally it that's, that's strange, okay so the book came out in london in late 1773, and that was just as like.

00:29:06.338 --> 00:29:13.540
Phyllis was heading back to boston and she came back right in time to pretty much care for Susanna who was getting sick.

00:29:13.863 --> 00:29:16.260
Oh really, that's the mother right.

00:29:17.295 --> 00:29:21.023
So in 1774, phyllis was manumitted.

00:29:21.023 --> 00:29:22.347
What does that mean?

00:29:22.347 --> 00:29:24.099
Basically emancipated?

00:29:24.099 --> 00:29:24.803
She was freed.

00:29:24.803 --> 00:29:27.059
Oh, what is it?

00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:29.125
What is the word again, manumitted?

00:29:29.615 --> 00:29:30.256
I've never heard that in my life.

00:29:30.256 --> 00:29:31.097
I had to look that in my life.

00:29:31.097 --> 00:29:31.519
I haven't either.

00:29:31.538 --> 00:29:32.441
I had to look it up, sure.

00:29:32.461 --> 00:29:35.288
I can understand why, and then I looked it up a second time Just to make sure.

00:29:35.288 --> 00:29:38.480
Yes, yeah, I've never heard that term before.

00:29:38.540 --> 00:29:40.224
Basically released from slavery.

00:29:40.224 --> 00:29:45.419
Okay yeah, so the Wheatleys did that for her.

00:29:45.419 --> 00:29:49.965
That's really nice release in the spring of Susanna died.

00:29:50.066 --> 00:29:50.227
Yeah.

00:29:54.355 --> 00:30:04.001
In June 1775, the American Revolution was well on its way when George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the newly formed Continental Army.

00:30:04.001 --> 00:30:13.439
In October of that year, phyllis Wheatley wrote Washington a letter and a poem and sent it to his military headquarters in cambridge.

00:30:13.439 --> 00:30:25.414
Okay, she said, quote sir, I have taken the freedom to address your excellency in the enclosed poem and entreat your acceptance, though I am not insensible of its inaccuracies.

00:30:25.414 --> 00:30:39.101
You're being appointed by the grand continental congress to be Generalissimo of the Armies of North America, together with the fame of your virtues, sensations not easy to suppress.

00:30:39.101 --> 00:30:50.041
Your generosity, therefore, I presume, will pardon the attempt, wishing your Excellency all possible success in the great cause you are so generously engaged in.

00:30:50.041 --> 00:30:55.585
I am your Excellency's most obedient, humble servant, phyllis Wheatley.

00:30:55.585 --> 00:30:56.247
End quote.

00:30:56.247 --> 00:31:00.575
Okay, then, a few months later, he responded Did he really.

00:31:00.755 --> 00:31:02.201
Yeah, he didn't get it right away.

00:31:02.201 --> 00:31:04.398
Sure, he was kind of busy.

00:31:04.398 --> 00:31:05.583
Yeah, he was busy.

00:31:07.056 --> 00:31:08.603
So he actually did respond.

00:31:08.603 --> 00:31:13.160
And there are two words in here I have not seen before and they mean the exact same respond.

00:31:13.160 --> 00:31:20.548
And there are two words in here I have not seen before and they mean the exact same thing and I don't understand why they're both in this, but I'm going to try my very best, I like that my very best.

00:31:20.548 --> 00:31:21.430
Okay, so Washington.

00:31:21.769 --> 00:31:21.970
Yes.

00:31:23.375 --> 00:31:27.021
General AKA future president.

00:31:27.021 --> 00:31:35.856
In case you didn't know, this is history buffoonsoons.

00:31:35.856 --> 00:31:36.358
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we are.

00:31:36.358 --> 00:31:36.519
He says.

00:31:36.519 --> 00:31:41.474
Quote miss phyllis, your favor of the 26th of october did not reach my hands till the middle of december.

00:31:41.474 --> 00:31:45.003
Time enough, you will say, to have given an answer.

00:31:45.003 --> 00:31:54.678
Air this granted, but a variety of important occurrences continually imposing to distract the mind and withdraw the attention.

00:31:54.678 --> 00:32:30.319
I hope will apologize for the delay and plead my excuse for the seeming, but not real neglect lines you enclosed and however undeserving I may be of such encomium encomium and panegyric never heard of those the style and manner exhibit a striking proof of your poetical nope, poetical talents.

00:32:30.760 --> 00:32:31.162
I like it.

00:32:31.162 --> 00:32:35.027
In honor of and as a tribute, justly due to you.

00:32:35.027 --> 00:32:46.470
I have published the poem, had I not been apprehensive that, while I only meant to give the world this new instance of your genius, I might have incurred the imputation of vanity.

00:32:46.470 --> 00:32:51.547
This and nothing else determined me not to give it a place in the public prints.

00:32:51.547 --> 00:33:06.849
If you should ever come to Cambridge or near headquarters, I shall be happy to see you, to see a person so favored by the muses and to whom nature has so liberal and beneficent in her dispensations.

00:33:06.849 --> 00:33:10.702
I am, with great respect, your obedient, humble servant.

00:33:10.702 --> 00:33:11.704
End quote.

00:33:12.626 --> 00:33:23.182
It's funny, it's like obviously times change, but you know someone like that writes that kind of letter in response to what he received and it's really nice.

00:33:23.182 --> 00:33:25.321
Most people today would be like sup.

00:33:27.316 --> 00:33:28.863
Thank you for the poem.

00:33:29.234 --> 00:33:30.601
Yeah, but thanks.

00:33:30.795 --> 00:33:31.577
I appreciate it.

00:33:31.577 --> 00:33:36.640
Lol Look me up when you get in town yeah, brb so whatever, it's just.

00:33:36.840 --> 00:33:43.356
It's funny how, like we, we are going backwards in terms of that you think you would go the other way.

00:33:43.356 --> 00:33:46.779
But now we just use emojis and whatever.

00:33:46.779 --> 00:33:48.481
It's like hieroglyphics all over again.

00:33:49.363 --> 00:33:59.721
So and comium and panegyric are basically preaches or texts praising someone, like they both mean the same thing.

00:33:59.721 --> 00:34:00.604
That's weird.

00:34:00.604 --> 00:34:02.060
Yeah, I had to look that up twice too.

00:34:02.316 --> 00:34:05.325
Well, yeah, because I've never heard of those words.

00:34:05.325 --> 00:34:10.380
Yeah, the fact that they basically mean relatively the same thing is kind of weird, but all right, fair enough.

00:34:10.380 --> 00:34:11.351
Yeah, so she's weird, but all right.

00:34:11.371 --> 00:34:14.302
Fair enough, yeah, so she's rubbing elbows with all these people.

00:34:14.302 --> 00:34:15.858
Well, I mean future president.

00:34:15.858 --> 00:34:16.679
Yeah.

00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:18.684
Future number one, yeah, yeah.

00:34:18.824 --> 00:34:21.028
Yeah, and Ben Franklin that's crazy.

00:34:21.028 --> 00:34:24.606
And John Hancock and all the Mathers.

00:34:25.876 --> 00:34:27.780
Except for Marshall Mathers, but wait.

00:34:27.981 --> 00:34:28.121
Who's?

00:34:28.161 --> 00:34:29.164
that Eminem.

00:34:29.164 --> 00:34:31.188
You know, guess who's Marshall Mathers.

00:34:31.188 --> 00:34:31.931
But wait, who's that Eminem?

00:34:31.931 --> 00:34:33.474
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha.

00:34:33.474 --> 00:34:34.880
You know guess who's back.

00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:38.201
Don't sing it again, back again.

00:34:38.201 --> 00:34:40.266
Oh Jesus, shady's back.

00:34:40.266 --> 00:34:41.599
At least you got it right this time.

00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:42.902
Tell a friend, okay.

00:34:44.596 --> 00:34:52.065
So with the 1773 publication of Wheatley's book, yeah, she became the most famous African on the face of the earth.

00:34:52.065 --> 00:35:08.501
I'm sure Voltaire, oh Voltaire stated in a letter to a friend that Wheatley had proved that black people could write poetry oh my god, again, I understand it's a product of the time, but for the love of god, why?

00:35:08.501 --> 00:35:09.161
Couldn't they?

00:35:11.005 --> 00:35:13.250
I mean again kind of a dick, but not a dick.

00:35:13.250 --> 00:35:15.193
He didn't know better, I guess.

00:35:15.213 --> 00:35:24.956
So so, despite all this hobnobbing and elbow rubbing and whatever, yeah, she was unable to secure funding for another publication did she go back to?

00:35:24.956 --> 00:35:26.418
England, she did not.

00:35:26.418 --> 00:35:33.326
Oh, the Wheatley family, yes, they pretty much all died within a nine-year.

00:35:33.326 --> 00:35:34.266
Oh, wow.

00:35:34.266 --> 00:35:35.507
Radius.

00:35:36.248 --> 00:35:38.931
Radius yeah, timeline, that's better.

00:35:40.695 --> 00:35:43.164
So Susanna died, yeah.

00:35:43.164 --> 00:35:48.289
Mary Wheatley, the daughter, and John Wheatley both died in 1778.

00:35:48.791 --> 00:35:49.032
Oh, wow.

00:35:49.394 --> 00:35:52.043
And then Nathaniel, who had married and then moved to England, died in 1783.

00:35:52.043 --> 00:35:52.184
Oh wow.

00:35:52.184 --> 00:35:55.094
And then Nathaniel, who had married and then moved to England, died in 1783.

00:35:55.094 --> 00:35:55.414
Oh Jesus yeah.

00:35:56.436 --> 00:35:59.826
That's wild that they all died within such a short time of each other.

00:35:59.925 --> 00:36:09.559
Yeah, so on April 1st 1778, phyllis Wheatley married John Peters, a free black man she'd known for about five years.

00:36:09.559 --> 00:36:13.686
Even though some friends didn't think it was a good idea, she married him and took his name.

00:36:14.677 --> 00:36:16.684
Why did they think it wasn't a good idea?

00:36:16.976 --> 00:36:20.740
So he had big dreams, a lot of big dreams.

00:36:20.740 --> 00:36:24.202
He wanted to be a successful businessman and a professional.

00:36:24.784 --> 00:36:25.025
Who didn't?

00:36:25.775 --> 00:36:28.043
People said that he called himself Dr Peters.

00:36:28.043 --> 00:36:34.916
What he worked as a lawyer, owned a grocery store and even tried opening a bar Like he's just like.

00:36:34.916 --> 00:36:36.561
I'll just do this and see what happens.

00:36:37.405 --> 00:36:37.726
Wow.

00:36:37.726 --> 00:36:44.923
So, like he pretty much, I'm going to be this today, and so I'm just going to call myself that and that's what I am.

00:36:44.923 --> 00:36:48.443
I mean way to project it on yourself.

00:36:48.443 --> 00:36:49.576
I don't know, it's weird.

00:36:50.016 --> 00:36:55.068
He was described as handsome, well-spoken, but some of the people thought he was lazy and arrogant.

00:36:55.454 --> 00:36:59.445
Well, I mean with him doing that, I could see why they would think that.

00:37:00.375 --> 00:37:06.494
So in those days people didn't really value black people's intelligence and their business skills and business sense, right?

00:37:06.494 --> 00:37:11.067
So even though Peters was smart and ambitious, he struggled to make his dreams come true.

00:37:11.067 --> 00:37:12.920
I mean, he was job hopping like mad, yeah.

00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:19.407
So, and at this time life was tough for everybody after the war, especially free black people.

00:37:19.407 --> 00:37:22.965
Okay, they couldn't compete with white people for jobs, right?

00:37:22.965 --> 00:37:27.387
So even though Peter was ambitious, he couldn't find good work.

00:37:27.387 --> 00:37:34.396
So I think what they mean by laziness is more probably because of the lack of jobs.

00:37:34.396 --> 00:37:41.007
Sure, um, and phyllis and her husband john ended up being poor.

00:37:41.007 --> 00:37:43.090
They were in poverty.

00:37:43.090 --> 00:37:55.378
So between 1779 and 1783 they might have had a few children oh, so it's undetermined it's undetermined, because none of them survived.

00:37:55.679 --> 00:37:57.262
Oh, okay, fair enough.

00:37:57.262 --> 00:38:05.516
Yes, so, um, john struggled even more and phyllis often went to work as a cleaner to support them both.

00:38:05.516 --> 00:38:11.001
And while he tried to find work, he also avoided people he owed money to.

00:38:11.001 --> 00:38:14.164
So he was in the ditches there.

00:38:14.164 --> 00:38:22.610
So, to top it all their dire situation off, mr Thomas Jefferson had some words for Phyllis.

00:38:22.610 --> 00:38:28.034
Okay, yeah, like all these presidents are just like showing up, like, hey, what's up, phyllis?

00:38:28.034 --> 00:38:28.373
Yeah.

00:38:28.373 --> 00:38:36.590
So advocates like Voltaire were using Phyllis's poetry to argue that people of african descent had shown that they were capable to deserve freedom.

00:38:36.590 --> 00:38:39.119
But jefferson disagreed.

00:38:39.119 --> 00:38:47.242
Oh, while he admitted that slavery was wrong, he still thought that whites were biologically and intellectually superior to blacks.

00:38:47.242 --> 00:39:06.025
Okay, in his book notes on the state of virginia, jefferson says quote misery is often the parent of the most affecting touches.

00:39:06.025 --> 00:39:10.208
Okay, love is ardent, but it kindles the senses only, not the imagination.

00:39:10.208 --> 00:39:16.532
Religion, indeed, has produced a Phyllis Wheatley, but it could not produce a poet.

00:39:16.532 --> 00:39:22.288
The compositions published under her name are below the dignity of criticism.

00:39:23.400 --> 00:39:24.735
And this was Thomas Jefferson.

00:39:24.735 --> 00:39:28.199
All right, I'm going to lean towards.

00:39:28.199 --> 00:39:30.224
What a dick, isn't that awful?

00:39:30.224 --> 00:39:31.119
Yeah, what the fuck man.

00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:31.945
What a dick isn't that awful?

00:39:31.945 --> 00:39:32.409
Yeah, what the fuck man.

00:39:32.429 --> 00:39:40.117
that's what a dick thing to say he was also kind of confused, because in the rest of his book he actually contradicts himself.

00:39:40.117 --> 00:39:52.925
So okay he questioned whether she actually wrote her own poems like those other people did yeah but then also said that her bad poetry proved her lack of intelligence so he just didn't like it, so he called it bad.

00:39:52.965 --> 00:39:54.498
So then, which made her stupid?

00:39:54.798 --> 00:39:57.143
yeah, I mean what, what a dick.

00:39:57.525 --> 00:40:07.110
But even though she wrote it, he doesn't think she wrote it yeah, it's like okay, so he's just trying to bring, bring her down for no reason.

00:40:07.175 --> 00:40:12.146
Really is what he's doing so later in his book jefferson criticized ignatius sancho.

00:40:12.146 --> 00:40:14.663
Okay who is a black man who wrote letters.

00:40:14.663 --> 00:40:19.097
He said sancho's letters were more about emotions than intelligence.

00:40:19.097 --> 00:40:24.818
But interestingly, jefferson himself later wrote about the importance of emotions in his own letters.

00:40:25.077 --> 00:40:32.771
So, like you said, he contradicted himself clearly, what, what the fuck man so basically jefferson was trying to find ways to justify his belief right in white, Like you said he contradicted himself.

00:40:32.811 --> 00:40:33.092
Clearly.

00:40:33.092 --> 00:40:33.612
What the fuck man.

00:40:33.612 --> 00:40:41.327
So, basically, jefferson was trying to find ways to justify his belief in white superiority, even if it meant contradicting himself or making unfair judgments about black writers.

00:40:41.327 --> 00:40:47.356
So, these powerful men stood behind her, yet equally powerful men were also scared to share the spotlight.

00:40:47.356 --> 00:40:52.443
Okay, yeah, so eventually, in 1785, john Peters was jailed for debt.

00:40:53.527 --> 00:40:53.869
Oh dear.

00:40:54.030 --> 00:40:56.318
And Phyllis could not support herself with her writings.

00:40:56.318 --> 00:41:00.940
Sure, they lived in the slums in a nasty apartment.

00:41:01.710 --> 00:41:04.597
So did she not make money off that first book?

00:41:04.597 --> 00:41:08.391
No, how come Did it say it at all?

00:41:08.391 --> 00:41:08.751
No why?

00:41:08.751 --> 00:41:10.313
Or just okay, If she did.

00:41:10.492 --> 00:41:14.277
It was very short-lived and very little Wow.

00:41:14.277 --> 00:41:19.382
In this nasty apartment doing this house cleaning work, she developed pneumonia, oh no.

00:41:19.382 --> 00:41:21.423
And she died at 31 years old.

00:41:21.423 --> 00:41:22.706
Oh wow, that young.

00:41:22.706 --> 00:41:26.275
That's sad December 5th 1784.

00:41:26.956 --> 00:41:29.123
Wow, yesterday, yesterday.

00:41:29.123 --> 00:41:30.996
So you can tell we are recording this.

00:41:30.996 --> 00:41:34.652
On the 6th she was 31.

00:41:34.652 --> 00:41:36.456
Wow, that's terrible.

00:41:36.677 --> 00:41:37.018
Yeah.

00:41:37.478 --> 00:41:38.320
That's so young.

00:41:38.320 --> 00:41:43.099
That's sad, especially because I mean she was a very bright girl.

00:41:43.099 --> 00:41:50.322
It's just funny that well to use a stupid line, white man bringing her down.

00:41:50.583 --> 00:41:50.844
Yeah.

00:41:51.030 --> 00:41:57.876
Because they just thought well, you can't be smart because of your upbringing and such, but it's like what?

00:41:57.876 --> 00:42:00.000
Thomas Jefferson's a dick Mm-hmm, Sorry.

00:42:00.730 --> 00:42:13.313
So Phyllis Wheatley's poems often address the issue of race and slavery, particularly in her most famous poem On being Brought from Africa to America, in her most famous poem on being brought from africa to america.

00:42:13.313 --> 00:42:18.972
In this poem she challenges the notion of racial inferiority, arguing that black people are capable of intellectual and spiritual growth.

00:42:18.972 --> 00:42:31.523
Okay, so wheatley's poetry served as a powerful tool to challenge the prevailing racist attitudes over time, and she used her talent to advocate for the humanity and equality of enslaved africans.

00:42:31.523 --> 00:42:38.025
Her work continued to expire, inspire, conspire inspire did you say expire?

00:42:38.045 --> 00:42:48.572
I don't know continues to inspire and resonate with readers today, reminding us of the endearing power of human spirit the importance of fighting against injustice.

00:42:48.652 --> 00:42:55.757
like Thomas Jefferson, so does her book still exist.

00:42:55.858 --> 00:42:57.179
Yes, you can buy it.

00:42:57.338 --> 00:42:57.759
Oh, you can.

00:42:57.759 --> 00:43:02.762
Okay, I'm sure Obviously reprinted, of course, but okay, well, that's good news at least.

00:43:03.643 --> 00:43:09.588
So some of the information I got was from the book the Odyssey of Phyllis Wheatley by David Walden Stricker.

00:43:09.588 --> 00:43:25.530
Okay, and then there is a article on womenshistoryorg and there was a great one on american system now and a couple others, and that will all be listed in our show notes awesome that is phyllis wheatley.

00:43:25.530 --> 00:43:29.853
She is the first african-american poet to be published.

00:43:29.853 --> 00:43:30.594
That's crazy.

00:43:31.235 --> 00:43:33.697
Yes, never, obviously, would have heard of her.

00:43:33.878 --> 00:43:34.177
Yes.

00:43:34.637 --> 00:43:38.262
But all right, well, would you like to?

00:43:38.262 --> 00:43:40.523
We haven't done an idiom in a little bit.

00:43:40.523 --> 00:43:41.364
Would you like to hear one?

00:43:41.364 --> 00:43:44.327
I would so okay.

00:43:44.327 --> 00:43:51.213
So this one, I'll just kind of say it was inspired by my cat, because he has one eye.

00:43:51.213 --> 00:43:52.795
You'll understand in a moment.

00:43:52.954 --> 00:43:53.255
Mo.

00:43:53.695 --> 00:44:04.574
Yeah, so all right, I'm not going to tell you what it actually is until, actually, I tell you how it came about, apparently, okay.

00:44:06.237 --> 00:44:07.581
I'll just be over here drinking my beer.

00:44:08.650 --> 00:44:09.112
Yeah, I figured as much.

00:44:09.112 --> 00:44:10.679
Oh well, no, it's going to say it, so I'm just going to here drinking my beer.

00:44:10.679 --> 00:44:11.141
Yeah, I figured as much.

00:44:11.141 --> 00:44:11.784
Oh well, no, it's going to say it.

00:44:11.784 --> 00:44:12.909
So I'm just going to tell you what it is.

00:44:13.170 --> 00:44:13.250
Okay.

00:44:13.331 --> 00:44:14.876
So it's to turn a blind eye.

00:44:15.137 --> 00:44:15.679
Oh, okay, yeah.

00:44:15.769 --> 00:44:16.675
You've heard that, yes.

00:44:16.730 --> 00:44:18.670
Yeah, like look the other way, correct yeah.

00:44:20.297 --> 00:44:22.708
To refuse to acknowledge a known truth kind of thing.

00:44:22.708 --> 00:44:25.137
Yeah, so all right.

00:44:25.137 --> 00:44:37.983
So apparently it's commonly accepted that turning a blind eye comes from a comment made by British Admiral Horatio Nelson In 1801,.

00:44:37.983 --> 00:44:42.773
He led the attack alongside Admiral Sir Hyde Parker in the battle of Copenhagen.

00:44:42.773 --> 00:44:50.452
Nelson was blind in one eye, and so Parker communicated to Nelson with their flags.

00:44:50.452 --> 00:44:52.637
It's not like they had a cell phone back then.

00:44:52.878 --> 00:44:56.981
I was going to say winks from the other eye, yeah, right.

00:44:57.001 --> 00:44:59.576
Three winks means this Wink if you're in danger.

00:44:59.576 --> 00:45:08.623
So he was communicating with these flags that they needed to retreat and disengage.

00:45:10.472 --> 00:45:11.396
So like a white flag.

00:45:12.331 --> 00:45:13.416
They weren't giving up.

00:45:13.416 --> 00:45:19.518
They were just using the different flags to give that message to the other ship.

00:45:19.518 --> 00:45:39.681
But he thought he was convinced that he could fucking do this and so he put the telescope so he couldn't actually see the flags to his blind eye and so he it made it look like he was looking and just didn't see it kind of thing.

00:45:39.681 --> 00:45:40.664
Uh.

00:45:40.664 --> 00:45:48.532
But he also apparently made a comment to a fellow officer about reserving the right to use his blind eye every now and again.

00:45:48.532 --> 00:46:03.362
So that's apparently where to turn a blind eye came, because he was literally blind in one eye and he decided to use that eye instead of using his good eye to not see the message and go for it anyways.

00:46:03.362 --> 00:46:05.045
Gotcha.

00:46:05.045 --> 00:46:06.536
Yeah, it's kind of funny.

00:46:06.969 --> 00:46:11.159
So he had ulterior motives and to make it look like he was a team player?

00:46:11.159 --> 00:46:12.141
Yeah, exactly.

00:46:12.181 --> 00:46:20.601
He was looking Correct, but he didn't see it Right and because he thought he could do what he was supposed to do instead of just give up and run.

00:46:20.601 --> 00:46:26.934
He wanted to see it through and apparently did Turn a blind eye.

00:46:26.934 --> 00:46:28.119
Yeah, it's kind of funny.

00:46:28.610 --> 00:46:34.375
It's so weird how something so obscure like that and it just and it's stuck.

00:46:35.016 --> 00:46:38.351
Yeah, because every I mean I've heard of it before, you've heard of a poor.

00:46:38.351 --> 00:46:41.518
I'm sure a lot of other people have heard that before and I know.

00:46:41.518 --> 00:46:44.391
Whatever was that last episode?

00:46:44.391 --> 00:46:47.639
A couple episodes ago we did cute as a button, like I.

00:46:47.639 --> 00:46:51.478
I made a comment about what, where did that come from?

00:46:51.478 --> 00:46:57.581
I'm not really going to get into it cause I don't want to, cause it was not very exciting at all.

00:46:57.782 --> 00:46:58.063
Oh, okay.

00:46:58.271 --> 00:47:03.076
It was kind of dumb and I've never heard as cute as a bug before and that was a reference in it.

00:47:03.076 --> 00:47:07.842
But um, so I probably will not be doing cute as a button in the future.

00:47:08.771 --> 00:47:09.472
Cause it's just.

00:47:09.472 --> 00:47:11.795
I mean, is there like a 30 second?

00:47:12.195 --> 00:47:18.983
I mean explanation it's just because they're small, round and cute.

00:47:18.983 --> 00:47:25.280
I mean, it's literally not much to it cute as a penny like your cat?

00:47:26.463 --> 00:47:27.465
no, but she is cute.

00:47:27.465 --> 00:47:32.840
I know penny is cute, but no, okay, cute as a dime?

00:47:35.994 --> 00:47:43.083
no, no cute as a sequence sequin or sequence I don't know.

00:47:43.364 --> 00:47:58.172
I guess I'm not crafty enough to know well I suppose, welp, I suppose, is it sequins, sequins, sequins, sequins.

00:47:58.972 --> 00:48:00.856
Sucks, I don't know.

00:48:01.056 --> 00:48:02.900
Anyways, I don't know how to English.

00:48:03.681 --> 00:48:06.911
No, almost.

00:48:06.911 --> 00:48:07.032
40.

00:48:07.032 --> 00:48:08.275
Took Phyllis, 16 months.

00:48:08.315 --> 00:48:12.384
Okay, well, I suppose, well, I suppose All right, buffoons.

00:48:12.610 --> 00:48:13.954
that's it for today's episode.

00:48:14.577 --> 00:48:18.012
Buckle up, because we've got another historical adventure waiting for you.

00:48:18.012 --> 00:48:26.074
Next time Feeling hungry for more buffoonery, or maybe you have a burning question or a wild historical theory for us to explore.

00:48:26.650 --> 00:48:27.956
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00:48:27.956 --> 00:48:32.956
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00:48:32.956 --> 00:48:37.043
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00:48:38.170 --> 00:48:42.902
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00:48:43.210 --> 00:48:46.400
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00:48:46.909 --> 00:48:49.012
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