Courageous Elizabeth Freeman – First African American Slave Who Filed A Freedom Suit

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - It takes courageous people to fight injustice in society. Elizabeth Freeman, who was born into slavery knew how to stand up for her right as a living being. She was the first enslaved African American to file and win a freedom suit in Massachusetts. Not only did she win the case and gain freedom, but her actions also led the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts.

Left: Statue of Elizabeth Freeman in the historical galleries at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Credit: elizabethfreeman.mumbet.com - Right: Miniature portrait, oil pastel on ivory by Susan Anne Livingston Ridley Sedgwick, 1811. Credit: Public Domain

Unlike many modern children, Elizabeth Freeman (1744 - 1829) never had a chance to go to school or play with toys. Known as Mum Bett to many, she was born as a slave girl at the farm of Pieter Hogeboom in Claverack, New York where she was abused by her owner Colonel John Ashley’s wife Hannah.

Elizabeth was a strong-willed woman who stood up for other slaves. On one occasion she prevented Hannah from hitting another slave girl with a heated shovel. Elizabeth shielded the girl and received a deep wound in her arm. When the wound healed, Elizabeth deliberately left it uncovered as evidence of her owner’s harsh treatment.

Elizabeth couldn’t stand her life in slavery and decided to escape. She swore she would never come back and she didn’t return. Of course, Elizabeth was fully aware of that there were documents such as the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. She was determined to fight for her rights. She called Theodore Sedgwick, an attorney and friend of her owners and asked him to help her file a freedom suit.

Ashley House, Home of Mum Bett. Credit: thetrustees.org

According to Catherine Sedgwick's account, Elizabeth told him, "I heard that paper read yesterday, that says, all men are created equal, and that every man has a right to freedom. I'm not a dumb critter; won't the law give me my freedom?"

Sedgwick accepted her case and together they went to court. The case of Brom and Bett v. Ashley was heard in August 1781 before the County Court of Common Pleas in Great Barrington. Sedgwick argued before the jury that based on the Massachusetts Constitution, "all men are born free and equal".

Elizabeth won her case when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in her favor. She became the first African-American woman to be set free under the Massachusetts state constitution.

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More About History

After winning her case, Ashley asked Elizabeth to return to his house and work for wages, but she was not interested in his offer. Instead she started working in attorney Sedgwick's household. She worked for his family until 1808 as senior servant and governess to the Sedgwick children.

One of Sedgwick’s children was Catharine Sedgwick, who became a well-known author and wrote an account of her governess's life. It is thanks to her we can learn about the courageous woman Elizabeth Freeman who risked everything for freedom.

Elizabeth’s age at the time of her death is uncertain. It is believed she was 85 when she died. She was buried in the Sedgwick family plot in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, as the only person not being part of the family. On her tombstone the inscription says:

ELIZABETH FREEMAN, also known by the name of MUMBET died Dec. 28th 1829. Her supposed age was 85 Years. She was born a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years; She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal. She neither wasted time nor property. She never violated a trust, nor failed to perform a duty. In every situation of domestic trial, she was the most efficient helper and the tenderest friend. Good mother, farewell

Not known to many today, Elizabeth Freeman was undoubtedly a remarkable woman who took a courageous step toward ending slavery in Massachusetts.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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