The Hand of America's First Black Female Poet [3min]

Phyllis Wheatley was America's first published black poet. She was born in the West African nation of Senegal and sold into slavery to John Wheatley of Boston in 1761. She was too sickly for hard labor, and was instead taught to read and write. She took her newfound skills to heart and published her first poem on Dec. 21, 1767. But despite her obvious intellect, she died at the young age of 30, alone and penniless. But she hasn't been forgotten, especially by autograph collectors. On Tuesday, the Swann Auction Galleries in New York City will auction a newly discovered two-page letter written by Wheatley -- a bit of history expected to fetch $120,000 or more.