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Elizabeth Key was the first woman of African ancestry in the American colonies to sue for her freedom from slavery and win. Elizabeth Key won her freedom and that of her infant son on July 21, 1656 in the colony of Virginia, in one of the earliest freedom suits in the colonies. She sued based on the fact that her father was an Englishman and that she was a baptized Christian. In this inquiry, students will examine the logic used in the case to understand her success.

How did Elizabeth Key secure her freedom via the judiciary

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    MONTHLY PATRONS
    ​Jeff Eckert, Barbara Tischler, Brooke Sullivan, Christian Bourdo, Kent Heckel, Jenna Koloski, Nancy Heckel, Megan Torrey-Payne, Leah Tanger, Mark Bryer, Nicole Woulfe, Alicia Gutierrez-Romine, Katya Miller, Michelle Stonis, Jessica Freire, Laura Holiday, Jacqui Nelson, Annabelle Blevins Pifer, Dawn Cyr, Megan Gary, Melissa Adams, Victoria Plutshack, Rachel Lee, Perez, Kate Kemp, Bridget Erlandson, Leah Spellerberg, Rebecca Sanborn Marshall​, Ashley Satterfield, Milly Neff, Alexandra Plutshack, Martha Wheelock, Gwen Duralek, Maureen Barthen, Pamela Scully, Elizabeth Blanchard, and Christina Luzzi.

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    ​Pioneer: Deb Coffin, Annalee Davis Thorndike Foundation, Rhode Island Community Foundation, the Heron Foundation
    Icon: Jean German, Dr. Barbara and Dr. Steve Tischler, Dr. Leah Redmond Chang

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