Ronald B. Wheatley

The Trial of Phillis Wheatley Ronald B. Wheatley

On the eve of the American Revolution in the fall of 1772, eighteen year old Phillis Wheatley, the household slave of John and Susanna Wheatley was invited to appear before eighteen of Boston?s most prominent men in the Governor?s Council Chamber in Boston to defend the premise that she was the author of a collection of poems. The so-called ?jury? was comprised of the most prominent men in Boston. This was not a jury of her peers but rather one comprised of all white, all male, and largely middle-aged men. There is no transcript of that proceeding. The Trial of Phillis Wheatley is a courtroom docudrama ?depicting? what occurred in that room that day. The final verdict would change the course of American history.