Elizabeth Freeman, best known as “Mum Bett,” was the first Black woman to sue and win her freedom in the state of Massachusetts. Freeman was born in Claverack, New York around 1744, and grew up on the Pieter Hogeboom Plantation along with her younger sister Lizzie.

When Mr. Hogeboom’s daughter got married, he gifted Mum Bett and Lizzie to his daughter. Their master’s wife Mrs. Ashley was very cruel. One day as she attempted to strike Lizzie with a heated shovel, Mum Bett stepped in the way to shield her, and was severely wounded on her arm instead. Mum Bett did not cover her arm and instead used her ugly wound as evidence of maltreatment. She began to strategically consider ways to win their freedom. 

Their master John Ashley just so happened to be a judge for the Berkshire Court of Common Pleas. While he constructed the Sheffield Declaration at home, he included the phrase “mankind in a state of nature are equal, free, and independent of each other, and have a right to the undisturbed enjoyment of their lives, their liberty, and property.” Armed with the knowledge she gained from listening in on his meetings, Mom Bett and another slave named Brom turned to a prominent lawyer at that time named Theodore Sedgwick.

Interested in seeing if slavery was legal under the new Massachusetts Constitution, their case was taken as a “test case.” In May of 1781, Sedgwick filed a document called a “writ of replevin,” a document stating the persons named were not John Ashley’s legitimate property. Despite this, Ashley refused to release the slaves. 

In August 1781, the case went to the County Court of Common Pleas of Great Barrington in the case known as Brom and Bett v. Ashley. Standing his ground, Sedgwick argued that slavery was now deemed unconstitutional under the new Massachusetts Constitution. The jury agreed with him, awarding Mum Bett and Brom their freedom, 30 shillings, and the costs of the trial.

Fair trial sparked what became known as the “Freedom suits.” These Freedom suits are what led Massachusetts to outlaw slavery all together. Following her trial, Mom Bett changed her name to Elizabeth Freeman, and worked as a paid domestic worker for Sedgwick, serving also as a healer, midwife, and nurse. In time she bought her own house and raised her children. She died at the approximate age of 85 on December 28, 1829.

A native of Phoenix, Arizona Aundrea Sayrie is a firm believer in the power of words, faith and a strong spirit. Her greatest desire is to encourage those around her to discover and honor their truth, and to passionately live on purpose.