Wheatley, Phillis, entry in The American Cyclopaedia

What it is

This is an entry on Phillis Wheatley from The American Cyclopaedia, a reference encyclopedia published in 1879, about a century after her death. It gives a brief biography, mentioning her arrival in Boston, her education, her 1773 book of poems published in London, and her later life.

Why it matters

Encyclopedia entries like this show how Wheatley was remembered and summarized by later generations. It reflects what information was considered important enough to record, and also shows the limits of what was known or preserved about her later life.

Look closer

• What details does the entry include, and what might it be leaving out?
• How does the language used to describe Wheatley compare with how she might be described today?
• Why might an encyclopedia from 1879 be useful, but also need to be checked against other sources?