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Elizabeth Freeman ("Mumbet")
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[ This description is from the project: Staff Favorites ]
Elizabeth Freeman, familiarly known as "Mumbet," sued for her freedom in 1781, and her case was an important part of the legal precedent for abolishing slavery in Massachusetts. She was represented by Theodore Sedgwick, who argued that Freeman should be freed under the Bill of Rights of the Massachusetts Constitution, which reads "all men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and inalienable rights."