To the University of Cambridge, in New England

What it is

Written by Phillis Wheatley around 1767, this is considered her first poem. It is addressed to students at Harvard College (called Cambridge in New England).

In it, a young enslaved African poet urges the students toward moral and religious improvement.

Why it matters

This early work demonstrates Wheatley's classical education and literary ambition at a young age. That an enslaved teenager could address elite university students with confidence and skill challenged the assumptions of her time about who could produce serious literature.

Look closer

• What does Wheatley's tone toward the students tell you about her sense of her own authority?
• How does she describe her own background, and why might she frame it that way?
• What does this poem suggest about the education available to her?