Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! "All men are born free and equal." Everybody knows about the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence in 1776. But the founders weren't the only ones who believed that everyone had a right to freedom. Mumbet, a Massachusetts enslaved person, believed it too. She longed to be free, but how? Would anyone help her in her fight for freedom? Could she win against the richest man in town? Mumbet was determined to try. Mumbet's Declaration of Independence tells her story for the first time in a picture book biography, and her brave actions set a milestone on the road toward ending slavery in the United States. "The case is fascinating, emphasizing the destructive irony at the heart of the birth of America and making Mumbet an active and savvy architect of her own release, and this is likely to spur much discussion." -The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "A slave named Mumbet, who successfully sued for her own freedom in 1781 Massachusetts, is the subject of this powerfully told biography. Suffering under a cruel mistress, Mumbet seeks solace in the freely running rivers of the landscape and in her own mind. Woelfle draws clear parallels between the Massachusetts colonists' discontent and the freedom Mumbet craves: '"The King means to take away our rights!" one man shouted. Do I have rights? wondered Mumbet.' Delinois's thick layers of paint and vibrant palette infuse even the story's upsetting moments with hopefulness, and Mumbet herself glows with determination and integrity. An author's note addresses how many details of Mumbet's life were lost to history, yet her story stands as a potent reminder that the freedoms that accompanied the American Revolution left many behind." -starred, Publishers Weekly "Mumbet, later known as Elizabeth Freeman, was born a slave in Colonial America. When the Massachusetts Constitution declared that 'All men are born free and equal,' Mumbet set out to test the law in the courts. Finding a fair-minded lawyer to represent her in court, she manages to successfully secure her and her daughter's freedom. This book opens many avenues for discussion, including history, civil rights, the power and interpretation of the law, and imagery and artistry as conveyed by the rich drawings and Mumbet's observations of freedom displayed in the rugged mountains, rolling rivers, and breaking ice. Author's notes, selected bibliography, and further reading provide more information about this inspiring piece of American history." -Library Media Connection "Mumbet was owned by Colonel John Ashley, but she longed to be free. As the Founding Fathers worked on the Declaration of Independence, Mumbet overheard the men discussing the phrase, 'free and independent.' Seven years later, when Mumbet slipped into the back of a town hall meeting about the Massachusetts Constitution, she heard, 'All men are born free and equal'-and she decided to test the new law. So she visited a young lawyer who was so impressed with her determination that he decided to take her case. Surprisingly, Mumbet won freedom for herself and her daughter, and her case led to slavery being declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts in 1783. Mumbet's still largely unknown story came to light through letters and journal entries written by her lawyer's daughter. Delinois' minimalist but highly evocative acrylic illustrations add depth to the sensitive, inspiring text. A great addition to picture-book collections of American history." -Booklist "This nonfiction picture book tells the story of Mumbet, later Elizabeth Freeman, a Massachusetts slave who was inspired by the American fight for freedom to sue her owner, Colonel Ashley, for her freedom-and won. The book incorporates historical incident, such as Mumbet's defense of her daughter against her

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