One of colonial America's most renowned poets sent a poem to General George Washington in 1775. Invoking the goddess of their fledgling nation to support the general's cause, the poems celebrated the revolution that was just beginning. But no aloof aristocratic admirer composed this tribute to liberty. A young Black woman who was enslaved wrote it.
Vocabulary:
• Appointed
Assign a job or role to someone.
• Praised
Complimente; Spoken well of.
• Righteous
Free from guilt or sin.
• Ode
A short poetical composition to be set to music or sung.
• Aloof
Cold and distant.
• Admirer
One who expresses admiration.
• Purchase
To buy.
• Versed
Knowledgeable or skilled.
• Elegy
A melancholic poem.
• Renowned
Famous or well-known.
• Reverend
A member of the Christian clergy.
• Tribute
An acknowledgement of gratitude or respect.
• Muse
A source of inspiration.
• Heavenly
Related to paradise.
• Deserve
To merit or be worthy of.
• Enamoured
Totally in love.
• Unlikely
Improbable.
• Tenure
Status of possessing a thing or an office.
• Ravages
Harsh damages.
Source: Ted-ED