Mumbet's Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfle

illustrated by Alix Delinois 

No major awards

Historical Fiction 

Mumbet's Declaration of Independence: Woelfle, Gretchen, Berneis, Susie: 9781633796010: Amazon.com: Books

The story of the enslaved Mumbet tells about her cruel mistreatment at the hands of her owners. One day, Mumbet overhears town leaders speaking about the British’s plans to change American laws. The words that stick out to Mumbet the most are “all men are born free and equal.” With this in mind, she gets help from a lawyer to fight for her freedom and that of her daughter. The story ends with Mumbet gaining her freedom and a new name of her choice, Elizabeth Freeman. 

Students in grades first through third would be most suited for this story. It could be used to help students understand and empathize more with the history of the U.S. and what slavery entailed. It could be used to start a discussion among students about how it would feel to not have your own identity. I personally wouldn’t use this book unless I ended up teaching younger students in a social studies setting. 


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