Take This Thomas Jefferson!
The 18th century was a time in which many people questioned the rationale for slavery. Running rampant throughout the Americas, slavery was openly criticized by liberal parties throughout Europe. Activists such as Jeremy Bentham joined the abolitionist movement, and successfully abolished slavery in British ruled colonies in the early 19th century (Hunt, 653). Tormented by what was occurring in their own backyards, many people living in America openly chastised the evils of slavery. Writers such as J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur condemned the American slave trade. From the pen of de Crevecoeur the treatment of slaves is declared: “Forced from their native country, cruelly treated when on board, and not less so on the plantations to which they are driven” (Heath 449). Depicting the beauty of America in his Letters From an American Farmer, de Crevecoeur cannot ignore the horror he sees in the pitch black eyes of slavery. Phillis Wheatley, who was thrust into the vile slave trade as a young girl, wrote politically hypnotic poetry. By examining Wheatley’s poetry the idea that she utilized her writing to debase the ideologies of the slave trade becomes evident. Many people will argue that Wheatley’s poetry simply demonstrated her religious fervor. Individuals such as Thomas Jefferson argued that religion could make Phillis Wheatley, but it could not create a poet (Belasco & Johnson, 517). Although religion was a pivotal theme in Wheatley’s poetry, it does not mask her desire to dissemble the disjointed falsehoods of the white man’s slavery propaganda while struggling to lobby for the freedom and equality that would ensure the common good of America. Wheatley’s works become more than frivolous poetry; they become political acts.
Despite the fact that Wheatley is making a statement against the slave trade, she is by no means down playing her faith, but she is belittling the power of the white slave owners by disproving their perfidious propaganda. “On Being Brought From Africa to America” is a short poem that possess a tone of thankfulness, but not to those that originally kidnapped Wheatley but to “mercy” (1). Mercy is an important word in this first line because to have mercy means to be compassionate. Compassion is a trait that the slave traders do not possess when it comes to the slaves.
Guided by the ludicrous myths of the slave traders, slave owners began to believe that they played an essential paternal role in the lives of their slaves. By thanking only God for her good fortune, it can be suggested that Wheatley is taking all power from slave traders by discrediting their fictitious propaganda and diminishing their paternalistic roles. Often times the humanity of slaves was questioned. By saying that “some view our sable race with scornful eye,” Wheatley is addressing yet another misrepresentation of slaves (5). Refuting the idea that slaves are not human, Wheatley illustrates that given the same opportunities as other human beings, slaves are as capable of achieving what society would consider as success.
The last two lines are crucial to the overall message of “On Being Brought From Africa to America” because they enforce the humanity of Wheatley and other slaves. Utilizing a biblical allusion to compare slave to Cain, Wheatley declares that they too “May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train” (8). The “angelic train” is a metaphor for heaven that discredits the idea that slaves are not human because if they can reside in the presence of God they must be humans that he crafted, himself. Furthermore, this can be seen as a criticism of the inequalities created by the human society because every Christian will be present in the realms of the angels regardless of their skin color. Enthralled with her religion, Wheatley is pointing out that if God can see her as an equal to a white woman, then society should strive to do the same.
“To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth, His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State For North- America, &c” is a poem that not only orchestrates a battle for freedom and equality, but it also awakens the reader to the idea that an end to slavery and inequality would be for the greater good of America. Why would a mere slave care about the common good of the American nature? Although slaves had no voice in the government, it can be argued that they were indirectly affected by the policies of America; therefore, Wheatley would be concerned with the condition of America because it would affect her.
To achieve equality Freedom first must be gained. Wheatley emphasizes the importance of freedom throughout the first stanza of “To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth, His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for North-America, &c.” The word freedom is both italicized and capitalized. This is important because Wheatley is emphasizing that in this poem, freedom is not only a word on a piece of paper but Freedom becomes a person. Freedom is elated that “her race no longer mourns” (ln 5). The personification of freedom supports Wheatley’s desire to abolish slavery. She is saying that Freedom cannot be happy while her people are enslaved, and in turn America cannot truly be content while slavery is acceptable. Freedom is described as elated at the end of slavery. The word “elated” is pivotal because elation is beyond happiness—it is pure joy. Believing that joy can only occur when America is estranged from the turmoil of slavery, Wheatley fights for the good of America through her poetry.
Boldly examining the discrepancies between slavery and freedom, Wheatley depicts the differences between life for a slave and the life of a free man. The slaves are depicted as holding “silken reins” as “Freedom’s charms unfold” (ln 8). This can be compared to the dreaded “iron chain” (ln ). The silken reins are a metaphor for a life of freedom while the iron chains become a metaphor for slavery. When comparing the two the difference between a free man and a slave can easily be seen. The reins are made of silk making them soft to the touch. A man would never get calluses from holding these reins, but the iron chains of slavery are hard and unyielding. The difference between the reins and the chains are vast and startling. The chains imprison souls while the reins are something one can choose to pick up or not. This illustrates how slavery is not a matter of choice for those brought from Africa.
Using a pagan belief, Wheatley discredits the idea that the central point of her poetry is religion. Furthermore, she uses this pagan symbol to represent equality emphasizing the need for it in America. If Wheatley is simply praising the Christian God throughout her poetry, it seems peculiar that she would refer to equality as “the Goddess long desir’d” (ln 11). This goddess is a metaphor for equality because she only appears after “hated faction dies” (ln 10). Because Wheatley uses a goddess, it suggests that she has not lost all of her pagan roots in her world of Christianity. This one example can be used to support the idea that all of her poetry does not revolve around Christian ideals.
Further along in the poem Wheatley directly expresses that an end to slavery would be the best avenue of action for American society. After Freedom and the Goddess of equality appear in the first stanza America is “No more…in mournful strain” (ln 15). The word “mournful” is often used in regards to death. People typically mourn the death of a loved one and this particular word usage could be foreshadowing the death of America if the society continues to rely on slavery as a forerunner in the economy.
Not only does Wheatley advocate an end to slavery and the gain of freedom along with equality for everyone throughout this poem, but she also gives a personal insight to her own feelings regarding her enslavement. This alone becomes a political statement because it is an account of how the loss of freedom affects a slave who is very well treated in comparison to the majority of other enslaved Africans. Because Wheatley allows her own personnel feelings to emanate from the page, she is oppressing the misconceptions surrounding the intellectual abilities of slaves. Wheatley obviously has the capacity to debate and determine her own thoughts about slavery. Wheatley talks of where her “love of Freedom sprung” indicating that it came from her fate of becoming a slave. Longing for freedom when it is not attainable anymore is clearly how Wheatley feels. Not only does her explanation for why she is so intrigued with freedom send a clear message but thoughts of her parents also reach out to society with an appeal to pathos reinforcing her humanity. Images of how she wonders “What sorrows labour in my parent’s breast” appeal to the emotions of the reader (ln 27). She was ripped from her parents by the market of slave trading, and now has no idea how they are faring in this cruel world. Sorrow is a state of extreme sadness and because this sadness lives in her parent’s breast an image of great turmoil at the loss of their child is created. This appeals to the pathos of any parent. Wheatley utilizes the images of her parents to remind people that she is more than a slave—she is someone’s child. This gives her an identity beyond that which has been thrust upon her by slavery.
It is important to take into account Wheatley’s status as a slave woman because this greatly affects her views. This should not cast a negative light on her views, but it should shed a light on the reality of slavery for those who are not experiencing it. She gives a rare first hand account of her feelings on slavery and the importance of this stance is that she is one in a million slaves that has the means and ability to voice her want for freedom. Also, considering that despite the fact that Wheatley is under the command of a generous household that has educated and embraced her, she still longs for freedom. It can be assumed that her want for freedom is nowhere near to that of the slaves that do not even have the taste of it that she possesses. Wheatley is emphasizing the idea that nothing physical or spiritual can replace the freedom that every human deserves and wants. Wheatley is also establishing her own role as a human. She personalizes her poetry by self indentifying with all other slaves emphasizing that they like the people of European descent are humans made by God. Because Wheatley is a slave that cares about the well being of America, it makes her poetry make relatable to the white people in America. They too care about the ultimate good of America.
Appealing to the raw human emotions of her reader, Wheatley shows that she is more then the ludicrous myths that surround slavery and that she longs for the end of slavery for more then her own betterment but also to ensure the prosperity of America. Throughout her poetry she is pleading with the masses to turn from the ignorant propaganda and see slaves as their fellow brothers and sisters of humanity. Seeing them as humans with equal intellectual abilities would abolish all rational reasons for the slaves to remain as chained prisoners of the white men.
