In a significant development for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, the organization has announced the acquisition of a first-edition book by Phillis Wheatley, a remarkable poet and a key figure in the literary canon. This acquisition comes as part of the museum’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a historic event that shaped American history. The book, titled “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” arrived in Boston onboard the Dartmouth, one of the three ships involved in the Boston Tea Party. This press release explores the connection between Phillis Wheatley, the Boston Tea Party, and the upcoming exhibition at the museum.
Phillis Wheatley’s Significance:
Phillis Wheatley was an exceptionally talented poet and the first woman of African descent and former enslaved person in both Britain and America to have a book published. Her collection of poems, published in 1773, gained international renown and positioned her as a prominent literary figure. Wheatley’s accomplishment was especially remarkable considering the societal barriers she faced as an enslaved person. Her poetry explored themes of religion, morality, her African heritage, and her experiences of slavery, providing a unique perspective on the world.
The Connection to the Boston Tea Party:
The connection between Phillis Wheatley and the Boston Tea Party lies in the arrival of the Dartmouth in Boston exactly 250 years ago. Among the cargo of East India Company tea onboard, one crate contained the newly published book of Wheatley’s poetry. This arrival coincided with the year Wheatley was emancipated from slavery and the year of the Boston Tea Party itself, further intertwining her story with this pivotal moment in American history.
The Acquisition and Future Exhibition:
The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum secured the first edition of Wheatley’s book through an auction specializing in historic artifacts. The museum’s Vice President and Executive Director, Shawn P. Ford, expressed excitement about the acquisition, stating that it will serve as the centerpiece for a new exhibition dedicated to Phillis Wheatley. This exhibition, set to be unveiled in late 2024 or early 2025, will shed light on Wheatley’s life and her connection to the Boston Tea Party. In the meantime, the museum will host a temporary pop-up exhibit in Abigail’s Tea Room, showcasing the acquired book, a photography exhibit featuring Wheatley’s images, and a replica of the dress she wore, as depicted in her book’s frontispiece.
Phillis Wheatley’s Journey:
Phillis Wheatley’s life journey began in West Africa, where she was captured and sold into slavery at a young age. She was bought by the Wheatley family in Boston, who provided her with an education and fostered her literary talents. Wheatley’s poetry, influenced by classical themes, Christianity, and her African heritage, garnered acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. She used her platform to speak out against slavery, making her voice an important part of the abolitionist movement.
Culminating Event: The 250th Boston Tea Party Anniversary Reenactment:
The commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party will reach its pinnacle on Saturday, December 16, 2023, with a grand-scale, live reenactment. Hundreds of reenactors will recreate the events of December 16, 1773, at historic locations such as the Old South Meeting House, Faneuil Hall, and Downtown Crossing. The reenactment will be followed by a public procession to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, where the Sons of Liberty will symbolically destroy 250 pounds of tea sent from the East India Company, as well as tea contributed by citizens and students from around the world.
The acquisition of Phillis Wheatley’s first-edition book by the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum marks a significant milestone in preserving her legacy and highlighting her connection to the Boston Tea Party. By showcasing her poetry and sharing her story, the museum’s upcoming exhibition will contribute to a deeper understanding of Wheatley’s impact on American literature and history. As the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party approaches, the live reenactment event will immerse visitors in the dramatic events that forever changed the course of American history.
NEW PHILLIS WHEATLEY POP-UP EXHIBIT – November 28 – December 5, 2023
As of today, November 28, through December 5 (the date of Ms. Wheatley’s death in 1784), the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum will be hosting a temporary pop-up exhibit in Abigail’s Tea Room showcasing the newly acquired book of poetry, a new photography exhibit highlighting Phillis Wheatly at various stages in her life taken by Valerie Anselme, a Haitian-American professional photographer from Boston, MA, and a replica of Phillis Wheatley’s dress as noted in the frontispiece in her book at Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Abigail’s Tea Room during business hours.
Brief History of Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa (most likely in present day Gambia or Senegal) circa 1753. At the age of about seven years old, she was captured, transported to the Americas away from her family and sold to the Wheatley family in Boston. The family changed her name to ‘Phillis’ after the ship that had transported her across the Atlantic.
Phillis became a household servant for the Wheatley’s, who taught her to read and write. She studied widely, including British literature, Greek and Latin, learning to translate both languages, and write poetry. Some of her early poems were published in local newspapers and pamphlets and, by the age of 18 she had written enough for a book. At the age of 20, Phillis was tasked with accompanying the family’s eldest son, Nathaniel, to England. There she succeeded in publishing her volume of poetry, in 1773, making her the first African American and first African American woman to be published.
Her book was a success and received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, although others claimed that her work was too sophisticated to have been written by an African. Her poetry was based on classical themes, Christianity, the ‘new world’ of America and her African heritage. She also wrote about her experiences of slavery and spoke out against it at public meetings.
In 1778, John Wheatley, Phillis’ master, legally freed Phillis, allowing her to marry John Peters, a freed African American. But the deeply ingrained racist attitudes of the time meant life was hard for freed slaves, especially during the American War of Independence. The couple struggled with ill-health, a low income and the death of two of their children in infancy. Phillis died in Boston in 1784, aged just 31.
250th Boston Tea Party Anniversary LIVE Reenactment – Saturday, December 16, 2023
This 250th anniversary year will culminate in a grand-scale, live reenactment of the Boston Tea Party on the actual anniversary of the Boston Tea Party – Saturday, December 16, 2023. Hundreds of reenactors will tell the story of the infamous Boston Tea Party and theatrically recreate the events of December 16, 1773 at Boston’s historic Old South Meeting House and Faneuil Hall in addition to Downtown Crossing with a series of performances and programming, followed by a major public procession to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum where the Sons of Liberty will destroy loose tea, 250 pounds of tea sent to Boston from London’s East India Company, in addition to tea sent in from citizens/students from around the world, into Boston’s historic harbor.
ABOUT THE BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIPS & MUSEUM
The Boston Tea Party, “the single most important event leading up to the American Revolution, occurred the night of Dec. 16, 1773. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, owned and operated by Historic Tours of America, is dedicated to accurately reliving and representing a key time in history (1773-1775) through actors, tea throwing reenactments, high-tech interactive exhibits, authentic replica ships: the Beaver and the Eleanor and an award-winning multisensory film, Let it Begin Here. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is open 7 day/week from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Summer/Spring) and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Fall/Winter). Tours run every 30 minutes in the fall/winter and every 15 minutes in the spring/summer and last 1 hr. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum was voted #1 ‘Best Patriotic Attraction’ in USA Today‘s ’10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2016′; voted ‘Best New Museum’ in 2012 by Yankee magazine and ‘Best of the New 2012’ by Boston Globe Magazine. To learn more visit www.bostonteapartyship.com or call 1-855-(TEA)-1773. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is located at 306 Congress St. on the Congress St. Bridge, Boston, MA 02210, over the same body of water where The Boston Tea Party took place.
ABOUT THE 250th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOSTON TEA PARTY
Meet Boston, the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party Board of Advisors (BOA) and Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations geared to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of the events that led to the American Revolution, are working together to create a series of commemorative programs throughout the entirety of 2023 culminating in a grand-scale, live reenactment celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party taking place on Sat., December 16, 2023. Details of all programming and the major reenactment celebration is available at www.BostonTeaParty250.com. Instagram/Facebook: @bostonteaparty250; Twitter: @BOSTeaParty250.
SOURCE Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
