Elizabeth verdict biography

Less than one year after the adoption of the Massachusetts State Constitution, a brave enslaved woman challenged the document’s proposed principles. Motivated by the promise of liberty, Elizabeth Freeman, born as “Mum Bett,” became the first African American woman to successfully file a lawsuit for freedom in the state of Massachusetts. This case marked the beginning of a group of “freedom suits” that would ultimately lead the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to outlaw slavery in their state.

Mum Bett was born in Claverack, Columbia County, New York as a slave. Although her exact birthdate is unknown, it is believed that she was born around the year 1744. She grew up on the plantation of Pieter Hogeboom with her younger sister Lizzie. When Hogeboom’s daughter married Colonel John Ashley, he gave Bett and her sister to the new couple. During her time at the Ashley’s, Bett gave birth to a daughter, but the identity of the father is unknown. Although she could not read or write, Bett was clever and strategic. It is reported that Mrs. Ashley was cruel to her slaves. One day she attempted to strike Bett’s sister with a heated kitchen shovel. Bett protected her sister by blocking Mrs. Ashley’s strike but received a serious wound on her arm that never healed. Instead of coverin

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