The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America’s First Black Poet and Her Encounters With the Founding Fathers

Traces the pivotal roles that Wheatley and Jefferson played in the shaping of African-American literary tradition, discussing Wheatley's rise to one of America's most famous black women, her subsequent vilification, Jefferson's discriminating opinions about the creative capabilities of slaves, and his disputed role as the father of the black freedom struggle.