Namangan davlat universiteti ingliz filologiyasi fakulteti amaliy ingliz tili kafedrasi

The Springfield Republican
and in 1855 in Josiah Holland’s 
History of 
Western Massachusett
4
s
. 
The poet Phillis Wheatley (1753–84) published her book 
Poems on Various Subjects, 
Religious and Moral
in 1773, three years before American independence. Wheatley was not only 
the first African American to publish a book, but the first to achieve an international reputation as a 
writer. Born in Senegal, Wheatley was captured and sold into slavery at the age of seven. Brought 
to Massachusetts, she was owned by a Boston merchant. By the time she was 16, she had mastered 
her new language of English. Her poetry was praised by many of the leading figures of the 
American Revolution, including George Washington, who thanked her for a poem written in his 
honor. Some whites found it hard to believe that a Black woman could write such refined poetry. 
Wheatley had to defend herself in court to prove that she had written her own work. Some critics 
cite Wheatley's successful defense as the first recognition of African-American literature. As a 
result of the skepticism surrounding her work, 
Poems on Various Subjects
was republished with 
"several introductory documents designed to authenticate Wheatley and her poetry and to 
substantiate her literary motives.”
Another early African-American author was Jupiter Hammon (1711–1806?), a domestic 
slave in Queens, New York. Hammon, considered the first published Black writer in America, 
published his poem "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries" as a 
broadside in early 1761. In 1778 he wrote an ode to Phillis Wheatley, in which he discussed their 
shared humanity and common bonds. 
Just as African American history predates the emergence of the United States as an 
independent country, so too does African American literature have similarly deep roots. 
Lucy Terry is the author of the oldest known piece of African American literature— the 
poem, "Bars Fight" (1746)—although this poem was not published until 1855 in Josiah Holland's 
"History of Western Massachusetts." Other early works include Briton Hammon's "The Narrative 
of the Uncommon Sufferings and Surprising Deliverence of Briton Hammon, A Negro Man" 
(1760). Poet Phillis Wheatley (1753–84), published her book, 
Poems on Various Subjects
in 
1773—three years before American independence. Born in Senegal, Africa, Wheatley was captured 
and sold into slavery at the age of seven. Brought to America, she was owned by a Boston 
3
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African American Literary Criticism (Oxford, 1988). 
4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_literature 

---

merchant. Even though she initially spoke no English, by the time she was sixteen she had mastered 
the language. Her poetry was praised by many of the leading figures of the American Revolution, 
including George Washington, who personally thanked her for a poem she wrote in his honor. Still, 
many white people found it hard to believe that a Black woman could be intelligent enough to write 
poetry. As a consequence, Wheatley had to defend herself in court by proving she actually wrote 
her own poetry. Some critics cite Wheatley's successful defense as the first recognition of African 
American literature.
Another early African American author was Jupiter Hammon (1711–1806?). Hammon, 
considered the first published Black writer in America, published his poem "An Evening Thought: 
Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries" as a broadside in early 1761. In 1778, he wrote an ode to 
Phillis Wheatley, in which he discussed their shared humanity and common bonds. In 1786, 
Hammon gave his well-known Address to the Negroes of the State of New York. Hammon wrote 
the speech at age seventy-six after a lifetime of slavery and it contains his famous quote, "If we 
should ever get to Heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us for being black, or for being 
slaves." Hammon's speech also promoted the idea of a gradual emancipation as a way of ending 
slavery. Hammon's caution may have stemmed from concern that slavery was so entrenched in 
American society that an immediate emancipation of all slaves would be difficult to achieve. 
Hammon apparently remained a slave until his death. His speech was later reprinted by several 
groups opposed to slavery. 
Another prominent author of this time period is Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), who in 
many ways represented opposite views from Du Bois. Washington was an educator and the founder 
of the Tuskegee Institute, a Black college in Alabama. Among his published works are 
Up From 
Slavery
(1901), 
The Future of the American Negro
(1899), 
Tuskegee and Its People
(1905), and 
My 
Larger Education
(1911). In contrast to Du Bois, who adopted a more confrontational attitude 
toward ending racial strife in America, Washington believed that Blacks should first lift themselves 
up and prove themselves the equal of whites before asking for an end to racism. While this 
viewpoint was popular among some Blacks (and many whites) at the time, Washington's political 
views would later fall out of fashion. 

---