Written Out of History by Mike Lee

Author:Mike Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2017-05-02T14:02:34+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Mum Bett: The Slave Who Claimed Her Rights

When we think of the founders of our nation, most Americans picture middle-aged or older white men. There is, of course, a reason for this perception—there were no women among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Nor was there a single delegate of a race other than Caucasian. But notwithstanding the lack of diversity among those in power in 1787, America was itself a diverse nation, even in its early stages. There were other figures pivotal to the rise of the republic—including women and people of color—and their embrace of revolutionary ideals helped to pave the way for the open, pluralistic society we know today. Some were outspoken women. Some were Native Americans who taught our founders basic concepts about republican government. And some were proud slaves who understood better than many of our founders certain natural rights, including the right to be free. Though she was born a slave, Mum Bett recognized the revolutionary fervor that surged around her and understood that she, too, had the right to be a part of it.1

Mum Bett heard those who gathered in her master’s house discussing the principles of freedom and liberty on which the new nation was being founded, especially John Adams’s words in the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, which proclaimed simply that “all men are born free and equal.” Even as a slave, Mum Bett, who had a strong sense of justice and integrity, knew those words were meant for her also. Faced with the cruelty of slavery, she took her master to court to gain her freedom the year after the Massachusetts Constitution was enacted to test the legal boundaries of what “free and equal” truly meant.

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