Elizabeth Freeman, born MumBett, struck a decisive blow against slavery long before the nation fully embraced the ideal of liberty for all. Enslaved in Massachusetts, she courageously sought her freedom in 1781, inspired by the very language of the newly ratified Massachusetts Constitution, which declared all men "born free and equal." With the help of an abolitionist lawyer, she successfully sued her enslaver in the landmark case of Brom and Bett v. Ashley, a ruling that effectively made slavery illegal in Massachusetts. Her bravery and legal triumph not only secured her own freedom but also set a crucial precedent, chipping away at the institution of slavery in the northern states and demonstrating the powerful, if often unacknowledged, role that enslaved people themselves played in shaping the American experiment and pushing it closer to its stated ideals.