FIRST - Enslaved African To Win Her Freedom In Court - Sheffield, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 06.644 W 073° 21.211
18T E 636123 N 4663382
A bronze statue and plaque about Elizabeth Freeman, the first enslaved African to win her freedom in court, is locate beside First Congregational Church at 125 Main Street in Sheffield, MA.
Waymark Code: WM16QRD
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2022
Views: 0
An 8' tall bronze statue of Elizabeth Freeman is depicted standing on a circular bronze plinth set on a circular granite base. The front of the base is inscribed: ELIZABETH FREEMAN. When a slave she was known as Bett or Mum Bett.
Elizabeth Freeman is wearing a floor length gown and a bonnet. She
is holding a small shovel in her left hand and in her right hand she is displaying the court judgment that gave her freedom from slavery.
Her successful lawsuit, Brom & Bett v. John Ashley, Esq., was presented to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1781 by her attorney Theodore Sedgwick. This decision led the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to outlaw slavery in the state in 1783.
A granite monument next to the statue has a bronze plaque which is inscribed:
Elizabeth Freeman
Elizabeth Freeman (c1744-December
28,1829) was the first enslaved African
American to legally pursue and be
awarded her freedom by the highest
Court in Massachusetts. The
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court,
ruling in-Brom-and Bett v. Ashley, found
slavery to be inconsistent with the 1780
Massachusetts State Constitution. She
was freed by judicial decree in 1781 and
given compensation for her labor. Her
suit effectively ended slavery in
Massachusetts, and she took the name
Elizabeth Freeman.
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