Person · 1744–1829
Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman
An enslaved Massachusetts woman who sued for her freedom in 1781 — and won — becoming one of the first African Americans freed under a state constitution.
Her 1781 freedom suit is a landmark of early abolition in Massachusetts.
Born into slavery around 1744, Elizabeth Freeman — known as Mum Bett — heard the new Massachusetts constitution of 1780 read aloud, with its declaration that "all men are born free and equal." She reportedly concluded it must apply to her, and with the help of attorney Theodore Sedgwick brought suit in Brom and Bett v. Ashley (1781).
The jury agreed and set her free, awarding damages. Her case, alongside the Quock Walker rulings, helped bring an effective end to slavery in Massachusetts. She lived the rest of her life as a free, respected, and self-supporting woman.