February NEW RELEASE MUMBETS DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE by Gretchen Woelfle Elizabeth Freeman, known as Mumbet, was an African American slave in 18th-century Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 included the provision, All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights. Using that document as a basis, Mumbet, with the support of a young lawyer named Theodore Sedgwick, challenged the legality of slavery. As a result of their efforts, in 1783 slavery was declared unconstitutional and 5000 slaves in the state gained freedom. READ ON!
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 17:40:00 +0000