Evangelical Mister: Phillis Wheatley

0:10 oh, hey there, jesus christ. I mean, if only we could like explain how you got yourself prepped for this one, that'd be. That'd be a feat in itself. Kate is looking for some energy right now. It's late, it's 10 o'clock, which isn't the latest we've ever done. No, it's not the latest, but it's on the later side. I'll be up front. These beers we're about to crack not a first, not a first. So, um, we may have had some prior to actual recording and that you know, as some people do, can make you lose some energy yes they don't call alcohol an upper no, that's, so sad I know, because it makes you so giddy sometimes I know, but then you stop and you're like yeah, it's like why did you stop that?

1:14 I know, but uh, anywho. So hey, we're the history buffoons I'm kate and I'm bradley and we're kind of boring this time and we have our staples okay. So I don't consider that boring, I consider that hold on, I'm reaching for mine. I consider that consistency and um and uh. There's nothing wrong going. We. We try a lot of new beers I'm sorry, I'm just gonna start drinking while you talk, holy, but uh, I love how, how it drowns out the microphone when I open it. It's just so weird. But there's nothing wrong with going back to our standards that we like. Yeah, keep talking, I'm still drinking.

1:56 Oh, yeah, I can tell. So Kate is currently down in a Modelo. Apparently it's chug season. I can't chug. I know I was joking. I'd be wearing it, and I don't really want to wear it. Yeah, please don't do that. And I'm having the classic summer shandy because, you know, in wintertime it's December. Why not have a summer shandy? And I'm okay with that because apparently, what a month or two ago, whatever it was? No, actually a couple months ago, I think, I even mentioned it on a podcast. I heard that it was year-round now. Yay for you. I mean, it's my go-to. I did have a celebration earlier which I was.

2:39 Did I do that on the podcast? Yeah, I think I did, didn't I? I don't remember now. All I can think of celebrate good times, come on. That's not the words, is it? You need to stop hitting your legs like that. I need my energy. Okay, what's the lyrics? Celebrate good times come on. Is it good times? I believe? so Cool, I'm good. I'm good, all right. Podcast over break Good times. Is it good times, I believe? So Cool, I'm good, I'm good, alright. Podcast over she's good folks. Peace out, welp. I don't have my story yet. Oh Well, hey, so real quick, though I assume you have a question for me yes.

3:19 Yeah, okay, can I ask you a question first then? Yeah. Wow, so matter of fact. This is not how we planned it. Yes. No, so when you were a senior in high school like most seniors in high school, they have a yearbook Did you do a senior quote? We did not. You did not. No, you do a senior quote. We did not. You did not. No, okay, the reason why I ask is I was listening to some songs the other day and the song that came on which I will say in a moment after I say which one I did use um, I always wanted to use a line from the song as my senior quote, but my favorite band is nirvana.

4:04 The one I wanted to really use is not Nirvana. So in my brain I thought I was obligated to use a Nirvana quote. And there's a line in a song off the Nevermind album saying our little group has always been and always will until the end. When you're in high school, you think you're going to be with your buddies all the time. For sure, that is horseshit. So things happen. People move away, move away. Things happen, separation, whatever. So the other thing that really irritates me about my senior senior quote was that the dumb fucking bitches on the on the yearbook committee fucking corrected the.

4:44 The wording it was a quote, but they so it's. Our little group has always been and always will until the end is in the lyrics in the song will be. They corrected it to will be, and I'm like what the fuck? That's not what I put down, and that's not what I put down and that's not the line. So that really pissed me off. Yeah. So the the song that I wanted to use the line from was it's called pepper by the butthole surfers. Wow, yes, it's fan fucking task, and this is another reason why I'm disappointed. So the quote I used was too many words so I couldn't put who it was by, so it's just a quote.

5:26 It was never not like Nirvana under it or something yeah but the the line from the song is you never know just how you look through someone else's eyes. And then I could have put the butthole surfers and I, it's not like I regret it, I'm like, oh my god, my life is over because I didn't do it. I just I wish I would have used that, because it's so more, so much more prevalent to like than the one I used, because people, things happen, people move away, like you said, whatever, and uh, yeah, it's like, well, shit what made you ask question? I listened to the song the other day. Yeah.

6:07 And it just reminded me. I'm like the Butthole Surfers. Yeah, I listened to Pepper the other day and I guess I never really asked if you ever had a senior quote, or anything. No, they didn't do that, no but we did and I picked the wrong one. So I just wanted to ask that. I do remember my class's song. What was it? Dream On by Aerosmith. Wow, really. Mm-hmm. That's a. Super fun, I couldn't care less. I say that's a, that's not a bold move. But okay, I don't Shit, I don't remember mine and and I'm not gonna try and remember it because it's irrelevant.

6:47 But well, I mean, as we're kind of talking about school, yeah, did you ever have to write poetry in school? I mean, I probably had to write something. I don't recall any poetry that I've ever uh penned a paper, but uh, I would. I would imagine I did. Yeah, did you? Yes, Um, but I mostly remember reading and like trying to interpret poetry, like William um, William Blake. Yep. Um good old bill. Yeah, Um, and my good friend has um a poetry book out on Amazon called Pieces of Me by Christina Zill, and so I read a lot of her works before she published.

7:35 Right. And then I've got some poetry books that are called the Poetry Pharmacy or something like that. The Poetry Pharmacy or something like that. The Poetry Pharmacy, yeah. And the author essentially pulled poetry from different people and he categorized them in a way that, if you're feeling depressed, read these poems. Oh, so it's like a prescription for a certain feeling or whatever. Okay, yeah, so he's got two of those books and those are really fascinating. I actually really really like it yeah, that's interesting um, one would be like aging parents read this poem like it's really really kind of obscure in some ways sure um, but uh, I really like that too.

8:20 Okay, anyway. So we're actually going to talk about america's first african-american published poet so you don't have a question for me then, or was that the question? my question was did you ever write poetry? I'm just making sure, just making sure pay attention, so her name is phyllis wheatley phyllis wheatley? Yes, never heard of her okay so phyllis wheatley in 1761 oh, wow, okay was transported as cargo oh dear with 95 other slaves.

9:02 Oh, wow. To Boston Massachusetts. Where was she coming from? Africa, africa, okay. Men, women, children. Yep. Boston was a colony at the time. Correct. So Bostonians became aware of these shipments. They had shipments come in all the time, I would imagine, so yeah, and they were actuallyments come in all the time, I would imagine. So, yeah, and, and they were actually advertised in some of the the newspapers really wow yeah, so um boston had four newspapers um, and each of them advertised for the slave trade. That's crazy, yeah I mean obviously product of the times, but you think about that.

9:43 It's like that's just wild that they would hey get your slaves here. Yeah, exactly. It's like what the fuck? Yeah. So one ad promoted the sale of prime young slaves. Oh geez, Even offering a hardy male child about a month old for free. What. Mm-hmm. Buy one, get one free kind of thing of. Yeah, jesus can I? can I ask something real quick does this story get better in terms of like yes? Yes, okay just because, like we talked about it and you're, you're not always supposed to depress me. Yeah, I'm supposed to learn and have fun, not learn and get depressed.

10:26 All right, continue. I apologize. So on, this ship was a seven-year-old. Okay. Or eight, depending on where you read it. Well, I mean left page or right page, or different book. Okay, anyways. So, mrs Susanna Wheatley Sus suzanna wheatley, and this is the mother came to the docks, okay, oh, and essentially window shopped, so I'm she's looking for a slave from a little porthole no no, she's. She probably got like. All these slaves are either probably still on the ship or they got like tallied up on the dock.

11:07 I'm sure, and she's walking up and down. Yeah, I'm sure. She saw this little girl. Okay, Susanna's husband is John Wheatley and he was a very successful merchant and tailor. He sold tea, rice, fish, turpentine. Did he go under when they put all the tea in the harbor? I don't believe so. No, um, but okay, just making sure um, but he also made candles from whale oil. Oh, okay um. So he owned a sloop, which is a small single masted ship okay he called it the l Packet and he would. I was going to say drive right, sail Steer.

11:49 What Drive? He would sail during, like whaling expeditions. Okay, sure, he also had warehouses, real estate, so very prominent in Boston Sounds like it for sure. Yeah, very prominent in Boston. Sounds like it for sure. Yeah, so his businesses were actually brick struck structures on like one of their very widest roads called King street, all right. The rest of the cities was still kind of mostly built in in wood Sure. So um very prestigious to be on this street, in particular Fancy brick, and the Wheatley's house was remembered as being a hospitable mansion oh, yeah, that's nice. I mean, at least they were hospitable, yeah and they were staffed by a few slaves.

12:32 Well, of course, because they're not going to do the work. So they also toured town in a carriage, and they were only one of a few were that were privately owned. As many as the city dwellers were would walk through town because it was small enough. Well small enough and some people can't afford carriages and whatever, so that makes sense. So the Wheatleys purchased this frail, sickly girl to be a domestic servant for Susanna, and she was seven. at the time you said right, yes, Okay. So she was actually purchased pretty quickly and with very little money, as the captain of the ship wanted to make a small profit before she died Like that's how sickly she was, oh, so like they thought she was like on her deathbed kind of sickly.

13:15 Yeah, they thought that she was terminally ill. Oh, dear, wow, okay. She didn't have like a great health throughout her life. Well, I can't imagine. I mean it was a very short life to begin with, but um, so she was given the name phyllis wheatley, okay, named after the ship phyllis that brought her in and obviously the wheatleys and the owner's last name, and that was prevalent in the time was it really? I find that odd actually, just because the way they regarded the slave people is just literally property. It's funny that they would actually give them their last name. There might be a difference as well as northern slaves versus southern slaves.

13:56 I'm sure there was. Yeah for sure, and I don't know that answer. But it just I don't know. It just strikes me as odd that they would do that. But okay, fair enough know, it just strikes me as odd. Yeah, they would do that, but okay, fair enough. So susanna quickly realized that phyllis possessed an exceptional ability to learn. Oh, so she was pretty smart, yes, so john wheatley later recounted quote without any assistance from school education and by only what she taught. She was taught in the family. She, in 16 months time from her arrival, attained the english language oh wow, to which she was an utter stranger before to such a degree as to read any the most difficult parts of the sacred writings, to the great astonishment of all who heard her end quote.

14:44 I mean, I grew up with just English, learning another language, especially at that age of seven. I couldn't even fathom that. Yeah. Like I can, me gusta cerveza, I like beer Same. Yeah. That's why we have them at the beginning. We mix it up once in a great while, but we stick to the beer Anyways. That's why we have them at the beginning of we mix it up once in a great while, but we so we stick to the beer anyways. Yeah, that's impressive. I mean eight, 16 months, 16 months. I mean that's wow okay so suzanna was a woman who also loved education all right um, and it wasn't super clear as to who taught Phyllis, but they think it was kind of more of a collective family project led by Susanna and then eventually her 18-year-old daughter Mary.

15:30 I was going to just ask so is that their actual only kid? So they have Mary and Nathaniel, and they are twins, oh okay, and they are 18. Gotcha, they have other slaves, and then they also have Phyllis. Okay. Okay, and Phyllis was meant to specifically work with Susanna Sure. So John Wheatley was known as a progressive throughout New England and his family basically afforded Phyllis an education. Okay, and for an enslaved person is incredibly, incredibly unusual yeah, very rare, because they usually didn't waste their time, money, resources, whatever on on that.

16:12 They just wanted them for a specific task. And you do that. Yeah, okay so their instruction covered a wide range of subjects reading, writing, religion, uh language, literature, history. She was also immersed in the Bible, astronomy, geography, british literature, particularly from John Milton and Alexander Pope, okay and Greek and Latin classics from Virgil Ovid, terence and Homer. Do you know why I know Alexander Pope? Yes, how homer. Do you know why I know? alexander pope.

16:52 Yes, how I am going to guess from dan brown's book the da vinci code. I got it from the movie. But yes, yes, all right, anyway, sorry, I'm like oh, alexander pope, I know that guy. A pope, a pope and turd. Anyways, continue. So within four years she learned to read and write fully. Oh wow. Yeah, she was fluent. I mean that's pretty impressive yeah. At 13 to 14 years old, phyllis published her first poem Wow In the Newport Rhode Island newspaper called the Newport Mercury Okay. Rhode Island newspaper called the Newport Mercury Okay. It was tucked away on the third page on December 21st, 1767 edition Wow. And her poem was called on Mr.

17:35 It doesn't say Mr. It's measures like M-E-S-S-R-S, like multiple misters, maybe M-E say it again M-E-S-S-R-S, like multiple misters maybe M-E say it again M-E-S-S-R-S, that's weird. Almost like Mrs M-R-S Right but Okay, I'm unfamiliar with that. I'm just going to say misters, because I'm not really sure, but misters hussy and coughing, that's the title. Okay, mr Hussie and Coughing, that's the title. So this poem was published in Rhode Island as it could have been the first paper to actually accept her poem. She tried a lot to get her poems published and this was probably one of the first that would actually accept it.

18:19 Do you find it funny that she mastered the English language in 16 months and you're almost 40 and you haven't, anyways, continue. I need a beer. You are so rude. I mean. I saw an opportunity. Wow. I ran with it Not to derail you. I apologize. So the poem is a religious reflection of a near-death experience. You are so rude. Now it's like sticking in your brain. You're like that bastard.

19:04 I'm sorry, Kate, Okay, so the poem was about near-death experience of these two sailors. Okay, wheatley uses the sailors' ordeal as a metaphor for the human condition, highlighting the fragility of life and importance of faith. And da-da-da-da, sure, sure, but it was the elegy of mr george whitefield that brought wheatley national renown. Renown, renown renown yes again. I stand by what I said before yes, um so are you going to get into who that person is? Yeah, okay um. George whitefield was an evangelical mister oh, that was fantastic, oh my god oh, that was so good, thank you.

19:56 Thank you for doing that I'm getting lightheaded oh, my god, that was. That was fantastic. I'm getting a headache from laughing too much. Oh, I'm trying to suppress it so I don't just sit here sounding like a maniacal goofball. Okay, see, like that case in point, it's like she knew what I was going to do, so she acted it out. Oh, he was a minister. Or a mister. I mean, he probably was a mister too. I guess I love the fact that you said minister.

20:42 Okay, he was an evangelical minister. Mr Minister. And he had like widespread recognition already. Okay, so Wheatley published the poem in a pamphlet in Boston, newport, philadelphia. Wait, what's his name? George Whitefield. Okay, you said Wheatley. Yeah, phyllis. Phyllis Wheatley published the poem. Oh, I see. Yeah. Okay, I see what you're doing. Yeah, so it was published in boston, newport and philadelphia. Okay, and it was published alongside his um funeral sermon. Oh, so, like the sermon was printed and her poem right next to it, both regarding george whitefield I didn't know, misters did sermons so this happened in 1771 okay um, and it brought her into the spotlight, wow so it just kind of took off, yes, just because it was close to his sermon, I mean.

21:46 So it was obviously saw a lot because of that yes, yeah, okay, but it was in reference to him, so like it was kind of like a paired oh, writing it was, it was done on purpose. Yes, yes, okay so, with susanna's support, phyllis actually advertised for her first poetry book. Oh, she asked for subscribers okay so basically like pre-orders yeah give me money, I'll give you book, in that order. Things haven't changed give me money, I'll give you book, wow um, unfortunately um it didn't work out that way here.

22:29 Unfortunately, colonists weren't exactly keen on supporting black authors. Yeah, which is weird. Yeah, so Phyllis and the Wheatleys actually went to London to look for a publisher. Really, yeah, they're like that's cross the Atlantic. Do you remember how you got here? Did it take them two and a half months to get there, like when they went? to Roanoke, I don't know, take them two and a half months to get there, like when they went to rowan oak, I don't know. Um, so, before she actually went to london. Yeah, the colonists, they didn't believe that a black woman could write these poems oh, so they just thought they were like faking it. Yes, some white person wrote yeah, and that's so. She wasn't getting any support, which is why she went to london but, you know what the colonists did what they do.

23:10 They do. They had a tribunal for her. Oh, thank God, I know. They had to fix everything In 1772, Phyllis was questioned in the Boston Town Hall by 18 prominent men. Oh Jesus. Seven were ordained ministers, not misters, three poets and six loyalists to the british crown. I don't know who the other two were they were just probably at a pub and like hey, we need two more yeah those guys so some of the people that were of the 18. yeah, his excellency th Thomas Hutchinson, who was the governor of Massachusetts.

23:52 Oh, reverend Samuel Mather, who is son of Cotton Mather. And I'll get to that. Oh, okay, I'm like I don't know who that is, but okay. You will, yes, you will. So, son of Cotton Mather. I will wait with bated breath. Reverend Mather Biles, who is nephew of Cotton Mather breath. Reverend mather biles, who was nephew of cotton mather. Cotton mather was one of the ministers in salem during the witch trials you know, it's really funny because I was literally just gonna ask a question on that. So okay, yes, that is kind of funny so his son, who was a reverend, and his nephew, who was a reverend, are two of these men? Um, then we have james bowden, who was a reverend, and his nephew, who was a reverend.

24:33 Are two of these men? Wow? Then we have James Bowden, who was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin and a poet, oh, and John Hancock. I thought it was Herbie Hancock. Who's that? Have you ever seen, tommy Boy? Yeah. It's like put your John Hancock on's like everybody knows it's herbie hancock or whatever I don't know because he's an idiot great well, john hancock was the third president of the continental congress and signer of the declaration of penance, and everybody knows him because he is the biggest signature yeah, put your john hancock on yeah, and that's yeah anyway, so, of the 18 men, a majority of them were slaveholders, and one was even a slave dealer.

25:13 Oh so, some even came to her home good lord before the tribunal to witness her writing. They said write about this. And she's like okay, yeah, watch me do it yeah, okay, do you want me to use calligraphy or? Yeah, right, well, she passed because they're like oh, I see it now okay yeah, so the statement declaring um? there was a statement declaring her as the author okay and it was signed by all 18 men did john john hancock signed it yes, he did. It was a really big it said quote we, whose names are underwritten, do assure the word that the poems specified in the following page were, as we verily believe, written by phyllis, a young negro girl who was but a few years since, brought an uncultivated barbarian from Africa and has ever since been and now is under the disadvantage of serving as a slave in a family in this town.

26:20 She has been examined by some of the best judges and is thought qualified to write them". Can't you just say she is who, who she says she is? can't you just say you're cool, yeah, whatever anyways in 1773 before phyllis wasn't feeling well, but she still went to london, okay, and she was accompanied by um nathaniel wheatley which is one of the sons. Oh, the son, that's right, okay, yeah, yeah. People loved her there, really Loved her. Okay, they were impressed by how graceful she was, how well she wrote, and she even met Countess Selena Hastings, who was Countess of Huntington, who was also a friend of Susanna Wheatley's.

27:07 The Countess was so impressed that she helped Phyllis fund her book. Oh wow, really. Yes, that's impressive. So her book is called Poems on Various Subjects, religious and Moral, hmm, okay, okay. So during this time Miss Phyllis also met Benjamin Franklin. Oh, because he was over there at the time. He was over there on behalf time he was over there on the behalf of the colonies no one likes these taxes. Do something about this was he burying people in his home over there, or was that in france? Yeah, something like that. You ever hear that. What? Like the house he had I don't remember if it was in england or france, because I know he went no, I think it was england, but I could be wrong and like they excavated like a bunch of bodies yes, and I don't think they tied it to him, if I recall.

27:59 It's just a weird story stay tuned, maybe, I don't know. Okay, so she got to meet. Benjamin and Franklin was just like yeah, I met her. Oh, pretty much that was it? what a dick. I don't think so. I think it was just like yeah, I met her. Oh, pretty much that was it? What a dick? I don't think so. I think it was just like yeah, I met her. I mean, yeah, whatever. He said this of their visit, quote upon your recommendation, I went to see the black poetess and offered her any services I could do for her. Before I left the house, I understood her master was there and had sent her to me but did not come into the room himself and I thought was not pleased with the visit. I should perhaps have inquired first for him, but I have heard nothing of him and I have nothing heard nothing of her and I have heard nothing since of her end.

28:47 quote, that's it so it's like, yeah, I met her once. Yeah, it's like she came with her master, but I didn't meet her master, so then it was irrelevant. Then, yeah, I don't know, that's weird, that's literally it that's, that's strange, okay so the book came out in london in late 1773, and that was just as like. Phyllis was heading back to boston and she came back right in time to pretty much care for Susanna who was getting sick. Oh really, that's the mother right. So in 1774, phyllis was manumitted. What does that mean? Basically emancipated? She was freed. Oh, what is it? What is the word again, manumitted?

29:29 I've never heard that in my life. I had to look that in my life. I haven't either. I had to look it up, sure. I can understand why, and then I looked it up a second time Just to make sure. Yes, yeah, I've never heard that term before. Basically released from slavery. Okay yeah, so the Wheatleys did that for her. That's really nice release in the spring of Susanna died. Yeah. In June 1775, the American Revolution was well on its way when George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the newly formed Continental Army. In October of that year, phyllis Wheatley wrote Washington a letter and a poem and sent it to his military headquarters in cambridge.

30:13 Okay, she said, quote sir, I have taken the freedom to address your excellency in the enclosed poem and entreat your acceptance, though I am not insensible of its inaccuracies. You're being appointed by the grand continental congress to be Generalissimo of the Armies of North America, together with the fame of your virtues, sensations not easy to suppress. Your generosity, therefore, I presume, will pardon the attempt, wishing your Excellency all possible success in the great cause you are so generously engaged in. I am your Excellency's most obedient, humble servant, phyllis Wheatley.

30:55 End quote. Okay, then, a few months later, he responded Did he really. Yeah, he didn't get it right away. Sure, he was kind of busy. Yeah, he was busy. So he actually did respond. And there are two words in here I have not seen before and they mean the exact same respond. And there are two words in here I have not seen before and they mean the exact same thing and I don't understand why they're both in this, but I'm going to try my very best, I like that my very best. Okay, so Washington. Yes. General AKA future president. In case you didn't know, this is history buffoonsoons.

31:35 Yeah, yeah, yeah, we are. He says. Quote miss phyllis, your favor of the 26th of october did not reach my hands till the middle of december. Time enough, you will say, to have given an answer. Air this granted, but a variety of important occurrences continually imposing to distract the mind and withdraw the attention. I hope will apologize for the delay and plead my excuse for the seeming, but not real neglect lines you enclosed and however undeserving I may be of such encomium encomium and panegyric never heard of those the style and manner exhibit a striking proof of your poetical nope, poetical talents.

32:30 I like it. In honor of and as a tribute, justly due to you. I have published the poem, had I not been apprehensive that, while I only meant to give the world this new instance of your genius, I might have incurred the imputation of vanity. This and nothing else determined me not to give it a place in the public prints. If you should ever come to Cambridge or near headquarters, I shall be happy to see you, to see a person so favored by the muses and to whom nature has so liberal and beneficent in her dispensations. I am, with great respect, your obedient, humble servant. End quote.

33:12 It's funny, it's like obviously times change, but you know someone like that writes that kind of letter in response to what he received and it's really nice. Most people today would be like sup. Thank you for the poem. Yeah, but thanks. I appreciate it. Lol Look me up when you get in town yeah, brb so whatever, it's just. It's funny how, like we, we are going backwards in terms of that you think you would go the other way. But now we just use emojis and whatever. It's like hieroglyphics all over again. So and comium and panegyric are basically preaches or texts praising someone, like they both mean the same thing.

33:59 That's weird. Yeah, I had to look that up twice too. Well, yeah, because I've never heard of those words. Yeah, the fact that they basically mean relatively the same thing is kind of weird, but all right, fair enough. Yeah, so she's weird, but all right. Fair enough, yeah, so she's rubbing elbows with all these people. Well, I mean future president. Yeah. Future number one, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and Ben Franklin that's crazy. And John Hancock and all the Mathers. Except for Marshall Mathers, but wait. Who's? that Eminem. You know, guess who's Marshall Mathers. But wait, who's that Eminem? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha. You know guess who's back. Don't sing it again, back again. Oh Jesus, shady's back.

34:40 At least you got it right this time. Tell a friend, okay. So with the 1773 publication of Wheatley's book, yeah, she became the most famous African on the face of the earth. I'm sure Voltaire, oh Voltaire stated in a letter to a friend that Wheatley had proved that black people could write poetry oh my god, again, I understand it's a product of the time, but for the love of god, why? Couldn't they? I mean again kind of a dick, but not a dick. He didn't know better, I guess. So so, despite all this hobnobbing and elbow rubbing and whatever, yeah, she was unable to secure funding for another publication did she go back to?

35:24 England, she did not. Oh, the Wheatley family, yes, they pretty much all died within a nine-year. Oh, wow. Radius. Radius yeah, timeline, that's better. So Susanna died, yeah. Mary Wheatley, the daughter, and John Wheatley both died in 1778. Oh, wow. And then Nathaniel, who had married and then moved to England, died in 1783. Oh wow. And then Nathaniel, who had married and then moved to England, died in 1783. Oh Jesus yeah. That's wild that they all died within such a short time of each other. Yeah, so on April 1st 1778, phyllis Wheatley married John Peters, a free black man she'd known for about five years.

36:09 Even though some friends didn't think it was a good idea, she married him and took his name. Why did they think it wasn't a good idea? So he had big dreams, a lot of big dreams. He wanted to be a successful businessman and a professional. Who didn't? People said that he called himself Dr Peters. What he worked as a lawyer, owned a grocery store and even tried opening a bar Like he's just like. I'll just do this and see what happens. Wow. So, like he pretty much, I'm going to be this today, and so I'm just going to call myself that and that's what I am. I mean way to project it on yourself. I don't know, it's weird.

36:50 He was described as handsome, well-spoken, but some of the people thought he was lazy and arrogant. Well, I mean with him doing that, I could see why they would think that. So in those days people didn't really value black people's intelligence and their business skills and business sense, right? So even though Peters was smart and ambitious, he struggled to make his dreams come true. I mean, he was job hopping like mad, yeah. So, and at this time life was tough for everybody after the war, especially free black people. Okay, they couldn't compete with white people for jobs, right? So even though Peter was ambitious, he couldn't find good work. So I think what they mean by laziness is more probably because of the lack of jobs.

37:34 Sure, um, and phyllis and her husband john ended up being poor. They were in poverty. So between 1779 and 1783 they might have had a few children oh, so it's undetermined it's undetermined, because none of them survived. Oh, okay, fair enough. Yes, so, um, john struggled even more and phyllis often went to work as a cleaner to support them both. And while he tried to find work, he also avoided people he owed money to. So he was in the ditches there. So, to top it all their dire situation off, mr Thomas Jefferson had some words for Phyllis.

38:22 Okay, yeah, like all these presidents are just like showing up, like, hey, what's up, phyllis? Yeah. So advocates like Voltaire were using Phyllis's poetry to argue that people of african descent had shown that they were capable to deserve freedom. But jefferson disagreed. Oh, while he admitted that slavery was wrong, he still thought that whites were biologically and intellectually superior to blacks. Okay, in his book notes on the state of virginia, jefferson says quote misery is often the parent of the most affecting touches.

39:06 Okay, love is ardent, but it kindles the senses only, not the imagination. Religion, indeed, has produced a Phyllis Wheatley, but it could not produce a poet. The compositions published under her name are below the dignity of criticism. And this was Thomas Jefferson. All right, I'm going to lean towards. What a dick, isn't that awful? Yeah, what the fuck man. What a dick isn't that awful? Yeah, what the fuck man. that's what a dick thing to say he was also kind of confused, because in the rest of his book he actually contradicts himself. So okay he questioned whether she actually wrote her own poems like those other people did yeah but then also said that her bad poetry proved her lack of intelligence so he just didn't like it, so he called it bad.

39:52 So then, which made her stupid? yeah, I mean what, what a dick. But even though she wrote it, he doesn't think she wrote it yeah, it's like okay, so he's just trying to bring, bring her down for no reason. Really is what he's doing so later in his book jefferson criticized ignatius sancho. Okay who is a black man who wrote letters. He said sancho's letters were more about emotions than intelligence. But interestingly, jefferson himself later wrote about the importance of emotions in his own letters. So, like you said, he contradicted himself clearly, what, what the fuck man so basically jefferson was trying to find ways to justify his belief right in white, Like you said he contradicted himself. Clearly.

40:33 What the fuck man. So, basically, jefferson was trying to find ways to justify his belief in white superiority, even if it meant contradicting himself or making unfair judgments about black writers. So, these powerful men stood behind her, yet equally powerful men were also scared to share the spotlight. Okay, yeah, so eventually, in 1785, john Peters was jailed for debt. Oh dear. And Phyllis could not support herself with her writings. Sure, they lived in the slums in a nasty apartment. So did she not make money off that first book? No, how come Did it say it at all? No why? Or just okay, If she did. It was very short-lived and very little Wow.

41:14 In this nasty apartment doing this house cleaning work, she developed pneumonia, oh no. And she died at 31 years old. Oh wow, that young. That's sad December 5th 1784. Wow, yesterday, yesterday. So you can tell we are recording this. On the 6th she was 31. Wow, that's terrible. Yeah. That's so young. That's sad, especially because I mean she was a very bright girl. It's just funny that well to use a stupid line, white man bringing her down. Yeah. Because they just thought well, you can't be smart because of your upbringing and such, but it's like what?

41:57 Thomas Jefferson's a dick Mm-hmm, Sorry. So Phyllis Wheatley's poems often address the issue of race and slavery, particularly in her most famous poem On being Brought from Africa to America, in her most famous poem on being brought from africa to america. In this poem she challenges the notion of racial inferiority, arguing that black people are capable of intellectual and spiritual growth. Okay, so wheatley's poetry served as a powerful tool to challenge the prevailing racist attitudes over time, and she used her talent to advocate for the humanity and equality of enslaved africans. Her work continued to expire, inspire, conspire inspire did you say expire?

42:38 I don't know continues to inspire and resonate with readers today, reminding us of the endearing power of human spirit the importance of fighting against injustice. like Thomas Jefferson, so does her book still exist. Yes, you can buy it. Oh, you can. Okay, I'm sure Obviously reprinted, of course, but okay, well, that's good news at least. So some of the information I got was from the book the Odyssey of Phyllis Wheatley by David Walden Stricker. Okay, and then there is a article on womenshistoryorg and there was a great one on american system now and a couple others, and that will all be listed in our show notes awesome that is phyllis wheatley.

43:25 She is the first african-american poet to be published. That's crazy. Yes, never, obviously, would have heard of her. Yes. But all right, well, would you like to? We haven't done an idiom in a little bit. Would you like to hear one? I would so okay. So this one, I'll just kind of say it was inspired by my cat, because he has one eye. You'll understand in a moment. Mo. Yeah, so all right, I'm not going to tell you what it actually is until, actually, I tell you how it came about, apparently, okay.

44:06 I'll just be over here drinking my beer. Yeah, I figured as much. Oh well, no, it's going to say it, so I'm just going to here drinking my beer. Yeah, I figured as much. Oh well, no, it's going to say it. So I'm just going to tell you what it is. Okay. So it's to turn a blind eye. Oh, okay, yeah. You've heard that, yes. Yeah, like look the other way, correct yeah. To refuse to acknowledge a known truth kind of thing. Yeah, so all right. So apparently it's commonly accepted that turning a blind eye comes from a comment made by British Admiral Horatio Nelson In 1801,. He led the attack alongside Admiral Sir Hyde Parker in the battle of Copenhagen. Nelson was blind in one eye, and so Parker communicated to Nelson with their flags.

44:50 It's not like they had a cell phone back then. I was going to say winks from the other eye, yeah, right. Three winks means this Wink if you're in danger. So he was communicating with these flags that they needed to retreat and disengage. So like a white flag. They weren't giving up. They were just using the different flags to give that message to the other ship. But he thought he was convinced that he could fucking do this and so he put the telescope so he couldn't actually see the flags to his blind eye and so he it made it look like he was looking and just didn't see it kind of thing.

45:39 Uh. But he also apparently made a comment to a fellow officer about reserving the right to use his blind eye every now and again. So that's apparently where to turn a blind eye came, because he was literally blind in one eye and he decided to use that eye instead of using his good eye to not see the message and go for it anyways. Gotcha. Yeah, it's kind of funny. So he had ulterior motives and to make it look like he was a team player? Yeah, exactly. He was looking Correct, but he didn't see it Right and because he thought he could do what he was supposed to do instead of just give up and run.

46:20 He wanted to see it through and apparently did Turn a blind eye. Yeah, it's kind of funny. It's so weird how something so obscure like that and it just and it's stuck. Yeah, because every I mean I've heard of it before, you've heard of a poor. I'm sure a lot of other people have heard that before and I know. Whatever was that last episode? A couple episodes ago we did cute as a button, like I. I made a comment about what, where did that come from? I'm not really going to get into it cause I don't want to, cause it was not very exciting at all. Oh, okay. It was kind of dumb and I've never heard as cute as a bug before and that was a reference in it.

47:03 But um, so I probably will not be doing cute as a button in the future. Cause it's just. I mean, is there like a 30 second? I mean explanation it's just because they're small, round and cute. I mean, it's literally not much to it cute as a penny like your cat? no, but she is cute. I know penny is cute, but no, okay, cute as a dime? no, no cute as a sequence sequin or sequence I don't know.

47:43 I guess I'm not crafty enough to know well I suppose, welp, I suppose, is it sequins, sequins, sequins, sequins. Sucks, I don't know. Anyways, I don't know how to English. No, almost. 40. Took Phyllis, 16 months. Okay, well, I suppose, well, I suppose All right, buffoons. that's it for today's episode. Buckle up, because we've got another historical adventure waiting for you. Next time Feeling hungry for more buffoonery, or maybe you have a burning question or a wild historical theory for us to explore.

48:26 Hit us up on social media. We're History Buffoons Podcast on Reddit, x, instagram and Facebook. You can also email us at historybuffoonspodcast at gmailcom. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts and turn those notifications on to stay in the loop. Until next time, stay curious and don't forget to rate and review us. Remember, the buffoonery never stops.