Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman, dies. Born into slavery, she ran away form her owners after mistreatment by her master's wife. She petitioned successfully for her freedom, citing her knowledge of the Bill of Rights and the new constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in her argument that all men were created equal, thereby justifying her petition for freedom, Her victory effectively abolished slavery in Massachusetts. Freeman was the great-grandmother of W.E.B. DuBois, one of America's most renowned scholars, leaders, and fighters for civil rights.
