Jenny Slew Wins Freedom Suit in Massachusetts — First Such Victory in Colonies

Jenny Slew, a mixed-race woman in Massachusetts, sued for her freedom on the grounds that her mother was a free white woman. She won her case before the Essex County Court in 1766 — the first freedom suit won by an enslaved person in the American colonies on record. The court awarded her freedom and four pounds in damages. Her case predated and helped set legal precedent for later Massachusetts freedom suits, demonstrating that colonial courts could be compelled to rule against enslavers.