Mum Bett: Elizabeth Freeman's Struggle For Freedom

There was a time, not long ago where women were submissive to their husbands. This means that they did every thing their husbands told them to and beyond. This includes household chores such as cooking, cleaning, tending to children. The chores are all completed while the husband while the husband is away at work or even while he is home. Even when the husband wants intimate interaction with his wife, she must go on his account. Many women were subject to this kind of lifestyle and so was Sarah Penn from the short story, “ The Revolt of Mother” by Mary E. Freeman. Sarah is selfless, bold, and submissive because of how life for women was during this era.

Unfortunately for the Scotts the circuit ruled in favor of Mrs. Emerson. The Scotts however were allowed to refile their suit and in 1850,in a third trial, Scott is declared a free man on the basis of having lived in non-slavery territories of Wisconsin and Illinois. Mrs. Emerson however filed an appeal and the Missouri Supreme Court returned Scott to slavery. After filing suit once more and losing the case, this time against John Sanford, Irene’s brother who was presumably Scotts new owner, Scott’s lawyers appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court in 1856.The Supreme Court’s decision would “affect not only him, but all black people in the United States.”#

Blackmon provides many stories in his book about what the slaves to forced laborers went through and how they felt about the new so called “freedom” they gained. The Black Americans prior to the Emancipation Proclamation have never seen the slightest clue to what freedom could even feel like. “Some of the old slaves said they too weren’t sure what “freedom” really was”

many acts and amendments resulted from one mans wish to be free. Dred Scott was a slave to the Emerson

Mum Betts was born a slave circa 1742, spending her young adult years in the household of John Ashley in Massachusetts. When Ashley's wife attacked her, Betts appealed to a local abolitionist, who brought her case to the courts. Betts was granted her freedom and 30 shillings in damages in 1781, with the case Brom and Betts v. Ashley. Betts became a paid servant and raised a family on her wages. Mum Bett, or “Mumbet” as she was referred to passionately, proved to be extremely determined in ending the slave trade in the new Commonwealth of Massachusetts when she successfully sued for freedom in 1781, amazingly becoming the first African-American woman to win her freedom from slavery.

Elizabeth left behind four children , she was born a slave and remained a slave for thirty years. Freeman could neither read nor write , yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal. She neither wasted time or property. She never violated a trust , nor failed to perform a duty. In every situation of domestic trial , she was the most efficient helper , and a tenderest friend

Even though freedom and liberty are a fairly new concept for many, they mean a lot to numerous amounts of people. In the novel “Chains”, by Laurie Halse Anderson, it shows what freedom and liberty meant to a slave, Isabel, living and working during the American Revolution. In that time period, many people wanted freedom, slaves didn’t want to be owned by anyone and patriots didn’t want to be ruled by the King anymore. Slaves and patriots during the American Revolution longed for freedom and liberty because it meant rights, respect and independence for them and many more from the loyalists and King. Most slaves were ready to do anything for the chance of freedom from the owners or masters.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton forever changed the social and political landscape of the United States of America by succeeding in her work to guarantee rights for women and slaves. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a leader in the 19th century for women’s activist and women’s suffrage leader. As an active American abolitionist, she gave many lectures and wrote books. Among those fighting for women’s rights, she was a primary leader. Though she was interested in women’s rights from many perspectives, Elizabeth realized that success hinged on women’s right to vote. Elizabeth often worked with Susan B. Anthony as a theorist and writer. Elizabeth was a very important person to the women’s rights movement, because she fought for equal rights of women to be considered equal to a man. Stanton’s unwavering dedication to women’s suffrage resulted in the 19th amendment to the Constitution, which granted that right. These facts will present to you the difficulties she encountered and her contributions.

The decision that was made in the 1857 by the Supreme Court about Dred Scott becoming a freeman was not reasonable or logical. In the 1850’s the nation was faced with a struggle over slavery that would threaten to tear the West apart; the free states from the slave states. The main question that Dred Scott argued was whether a slave’s status overrode his previous situation when he entered a free state or territory.

During the colonial period women were frequently found to work alongside their husbands and brothers to punish newspapers as a family business. It was also very common to find wives become the publisher of the newspaper after their husbands became ill or died, usually until their son could take over the newspaper. Elizabeth Timothy was America’s first female newspaper publisher and editor, in 1738 after her husband died. Mrs. Timothy became the publisher of South-Carolina Gazette in Charleston, she ran it for seven years in partnership with founding father Benjamin Franklin. Since Elizabeth was a women she wasn’t allowed to publish under her own name, she used her 13-year-old son’s name, Peter. Anna Franklin was the first women to be involved

In March of 1857, one of the Supreme justices, Robert. B Taney, declared that since I was a slave I wasn’t a citizen and had no right to sue and I finally lost after my 10 years of fighting for my freedom. But over the next few months one of Peter Blow’s children bought my family’s freedom (Dred Scott’s fight for freedom). But my freedom didn’t last long. Nine months after I was free, I died on September 17, 1858. My case was one of the big causes for the Civil War, but I was unfortunately not alive to see the freedom of all

"Two months after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, one abolitionist wrote that 'to make the proclamation a success, we must make freedom a blessing to the freed.' The question of how to do so would long outlive Lincoln and the Civil War" (Epilogue, p. 361). My summary is of the fourth chapter of “The Fiery Trial” novel. In March of 1857 the Supreme Court handed down the Dred Scot decision saying that the founding fathers didn’t include African Americans in the wording of their constitution. This decision sent a ripple through the country and further divided the country over the issue of slavery. Lincoln gave his House Divided speech during the convention of 1860 and suggested that the United States should either embrace slavery in

The time period between the late 1800s and early 1900s was a ground for many crucial changes for women and how they were viewed and treated. The right to their children, property, and earnings was granted to them during this time period ("Women Suffrage in the Progressive Era - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress"). Many women, no matter what their occupation might have been, supported this movement ("Women Suffrage in the Progressive Era - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress"). Female Writers were extremely proactive when it came to clearly displaying the mistreatment that women endured while society viewed it as right. One writer in particular, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, published a short story the displayed the injustice in the treatment. “The Revolt of Mother” clearly displays the repression of women in a society much like the one we live in today, and the story leaves the reader with an essential lesson of standing up for one’s self. This piece of work is heavily influenced by the oppression Freedom faced during her life time.

As well as fighting for freedom, women and slaves were fighting for equality at the same time. “I long to hear that you have declared an independency—and by the way in the new Code of Laws I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your

Before freedom she has no idea that she has a self-identity; she knows nothing about herself. Because of slavery, she has not been given the opportunity to be a friend, wife or mother; she doesn't even know what