5 Shocking American Slave Stories They Didn't Teach You in School

This video explores the lives of enslaved women whose stories were nearly forgotten but who made significant contributions to American history: Elizabeth Freeman (Mumbet) won her freedom in 1781 through a landmark court case, helping abolish slavery in Massachusetts; Julia Chin, the enslaved wife of Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson, managed his plantation and established a school for Native American boys; Joyce Heth was exploited by P.T. Barnum as a '161-year-old wet nurse' of George Washington; Biddy Mason, born into slavery in Georgia, became one of California's wealthiest women through real estate investments and philanthropy; and Mary Mildred Williams, a light-skinned enslaved girl, became a powerful symbol in the abolitionist movement through her photograph, which helped spark national outrage over slavery's contradictions.