African american history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

African american history - Essay Example She was a victim of slave trade and was sold at the young age of 8 to the wealthy Wheatley family in Boston. The family gave her the name Phillis, and Wheatley was mandatory for her as a surname. They taught her how to read and write, and after seeing her talent in poetry, they encouraged her to pursue it. Many praised her work, amongst them white colonists who could not believe that a slave could write such excellent poetry. She was the first African American woman and poet to publish a book. Her downfall began with the death of her master, John Wheatley, and afterwards the death of her two infant children, then came the imprisonment of her husband, Peter. This made her succumb to illness, and passed away in 1784 due to disease and poverty (Franklin, John and Alfred, 131). This originated from West Africa in 1741. It was a day for slaves to elect black people who would be placed to rule the black communities in power. Those elected by the slaves would include kings, judges, governors and other high officials to rule over them. The slaves were given a day off by their masters to join others in dances and parties. Slaves were made to dress well, as when they dressed badly it would be a bad image for the masters. The selected official was not legally recognized as a leader, but he acted as a go-between between the black people and the whites. He also ensured that the law was upheld in his area of jurisdiction (Melish, 122). It originated from the Southern and Northern states and was an accord reached for the period of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. This agreement stated that three-fifths of the slaves were considered for taxation and representation in the Congress. It meant that slaves would be considered as human beings and part of the population and not as property. It stated as a dispute as the Northern States did not want slaves to be taken as a section of the population, rather they should be