This is Angela Odell, and you are listening to Real Cool History for Kids, a podcast show featuring history told from a distinctly biblical worldview perspective. Welcome to an adventure.

Welcome to episode 154 of Real Cool History for Kids. This episode is for Adele Beashold, who wanted to hear the story of Phyllis Wheatley.

Hey, Adele, this one's for you.

Phyllis Wheatley was a remarkable young woman with an absolutely extraordinary story.

She was born around 1753 in West Africa.

I say around 1753 because no one knows for sure exactly when she was born.

So as a little girl, Phyllis was taken from her home and she was placed on a ship

and then sold into slavery in America. She arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1761, a frail,

sickly child who spoke no English. The Wheatley family purchased her and gave her their last name,

which was common at that time. The Wheatleys realized very soon that Phyllis was absolutely brilliant.

Though she was enslaved, the Wheatleys treated her differently than most enslaved people

at that time. They saw her intelligence and allowed her to learn. In a time when enslaved people

were forbidden to learn to read and write, Phyllis was taught to read English, Greek, and Latin. She quickly

developed a deep love for books and poetry and learning. Phyllis was so gifted with words that

by the age of 12, she was writing her own poetry. The Wheatley's encouraged Phyllis's

talents, and by the time she was in her teens, she was writing poems that amazed everyone.

She wrote about history, the beauty of nature, and her deep faith in God.

At a time when people doubted that an African girl could be intelligent and creative,

Phyllis proved them wrong.

Her writing was so impressive that she became really well known

and not only in the American colonies, but also in England. Her poems were

filled with deep thoughts and beautiful language and powerful messages, and she often wrote about

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