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Liv Sampson
Professor Smith
American Literature I
7 May 2023
Colonial Women Expressed Through Poetry – MLA
Literature, poetry or prose, is one of the most efficient tools for gaining insight into a
particular historical period. The colonization of America and the birth of this new nation was a
time of massive change, newfound liberty, and unexpected events. Numerous literary works
provide insight into this exploratory period; however, no manuscripts represent it like the works
of the first published American and African American poets, who were both women. Anne
Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley’s work shed light on their individual perspectives and the typical
living experience of all colonial women from this era.
Before Bradstreet was an accomplished poet, she was a Puritan woman among the masses
of colonists who immigrated to America. Due to her strong sense of humility instilled by her
Puritan background, she never sought recognition for her work. She instead used poetry as a
form of self-expression and enjoyment. Her brother-in-law, John Woodbridge, saw potential in
her work and took her manuscript to London without her knowledge to get it published. It was
published in 1650 as a volume titled “The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America”. Eleven
years later, Bradstreet attempted to create a second edition with added poems and corrected
errors. The prologue to this edition, “The Author to Her Book”, perfectly displays the Puritan
author’s self-deprecation:
Thou illformed offspring of my feeble brain,
Who after birth didst by my side remain,
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Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true,
Who thee abroad, exposed to public view,
Made thee in rags, halting to th’ press to trudge,
Where errors were not lessened (all may judge).
At thy return my blushing was not small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call. (Belasco lines 1-8)
Earlier in her life, Bradstreet’s poetry focuses on philosophical aspects and the female’s sphere of
influence in society (Belasco 187). Her later poetry focuses on her life as a colonial wife and
mother. She specifically put effort into writing poems for her husband and children. Bradstreet
illustrated the value of what it meant to be a mother in a world that was foreign to her. The fears
and hopes of an expectant colonial mother were vividly portrayed in “Before the Birth of One of
Her Children”, as it was common for women to die in childbirth. Hensley describes how “The
writer’s pangs arise, not from dread of what lies after death, but from the thought of leaving a
husband she loves and children halt-reared” (The Works of Anne Bradstreet 17). Bradstreet rose
to high notability for her writing while experiencing the simple joys and hardships of all colonial
women.
Phyllis Wheatley also sailed to America for a new life, but she arrived under very
different circumstances. Wheatley was taken and shipped from Africa to New England when she
was seven years of age. John Wheatley purchased her to be a servant for his wife, but Wheatley
was treated well and became something like a family member. According to Carretta, “Her
experience of slavery was nearer that of a domestic male servant or slave in England and
America, who often conducted some of his master’s public business, and who usually
accompanied his owners in their public activities” (Phillis Wheatley 26). Unlike Bradstreet,
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Wheatley went to great lengths to get her poetry published and sailed to London herself to do it.
Frequent subjects of Wheatley’s poetry include her experience as an African American in the
colonies, the injustice of slavery, and her support of other African American artists. Most
surprisingly, one of the most frequent themes in Wheatley’s poetry is her patriotism and love for
America. One of her works, “Liberty and Peace, A Poem”, demonstrates Wheatley’s love and
pride for America in its pursuit of freedom:
And great Germania’s ample Coast admires
The generous Spirit that Columbia fires.
Auspicious Heaven shall fill with fav’ring Gales,
Where e’er Columbia spreads her swelling Sails:
To every Realm shall Peace her Charms display,
And Heavenly Freedom spread her golden Ray. (Belasco lines 59-64)
Another one of her poems, “On Being Brought to America”, explains how Phyllis believes that
God saved her from the pagan ways of her homeland by allowing her to be taken to America.
She does make sure to remind her audience that despite their primitive and sinful ways, her
native people are still God’s creation and may receive salvation.
Bradstreet and Wheatley came to America under very different circumstances and led
different lives. Parts of their stories, however, mirror each other and reflect the experience of
other colonial women. From an early age, both women received an abnormally high education
for their status and incorporated their expansive knowledge into their poetry. They were each
encouraged to study history, literature, natural science, Latin, and the Bible. It is, of course, no
surprise that they each faced similar obstacles that made it difficult to publish their work.
Wheatley and Bradstreet were required to prove they were women and that they did not compose
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their poetry at the expense of completing their household duties. When John Woodbridge brought
Bradstreet’s manuscripts to London, he wrote in a preface to the collection that stated, “These
poems are the fruit but of some few hours, curtailed from her sleep and other refreshments”
(Belasco 187). Wheatley’s only option was to publish her work in London because they would
not discriminate against her for her race like the colonial publishers. Despite their status and
society’s expectations for women, Bradstreet and Wheatley were able to share their abilities with
the world and influence colonial literature for the better.
The Colonial period in America was a time of new beginnings and paving new paths. The
innovative and exploratory mindset of colonial America shows itself in the poetry and prose
literature produced during that time. It seems only fitting that the two of the first accomplished
American colonial poets were women, one of them being African American. Through their
literary art, Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley painted a picture of their unique stories as well
as the story of every colonial woman.
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Works Cited
Belasco, Susan. The Bedford Anthology American Literature, Volume 1, Second Edition, Liberty
University. Available from: Liberty University Online Bookshelf, (2nd Edition).
Macmillan Higher Education, 2019, pp. 187-602.
Bradstreet, Anne, and Jeannine Hensley. The Works of Anne Bradstreet, edited by Jeannine
Hensley, Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1967, p. 17.
Print.
Bradstreet, Anne. “The Author to Her Book.” The Bedford Anthology American Literature, edited
by Susan Belasco, 2nd edition, Macmillan Higher Education, 2019, pp. 199.
Carretta, Vincent. Phillis Wheatley : Biography of a Genius in Bondage, University of Georgia
Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, p. 26,
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=1630844.
Wheatley, Phyllis. “Liberty and Peace, A Poem.” The Bedford Anthology American Literature,
edited by Susan Belasco, 2nd edition, Macmillan Higher Education, 2019, p. 611.
