- August 22, 2026 at 1:15 and 3:15 p.m.
- Museum of the American Revolution
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Book Tickets
Member Tickets
Included in regular Museum admission.
In August 1781, a Massachusetts woman named Elizabeth Freeman sued for her freedom and won.
The American Revolution provided new opportunities for people of African descent to challenge the very idea of slavery. In 1781, inspired by the ideals of the Revolution and the recently ratified Massachusetts State Constitution, Elizabeth Freeman and another enslaved man named Brom went to court and did just that. Using the assistance of lawyers Theodore Sedgwick and Tapping Reeve, they argued that as inhabitants of the newly independent state whose constitution declared that “All men are born free and equal,” they were being illegally held in bondage. On Aug. 21, 1781, they won their case, setting a precedent and paving the way for the abolition of slavery throughout the state.
Watch a 30-minute first-person theatrical performance portraying the life and experiences of Elizabeth Freeman, also known as Mumbet. The performance stars Katelyn E. Appiah-Kubi as Elizabeth Freeman and was written by Teresa Miller.