News of the case spread throughout the commonwealth, specifically with the similar Massachusetts state supreme court hearing Quock Walker v. Jennison. During the reading of the opinion from the Chief Justice, Freeman’s stance was cited. Using the same excerpt of the State Constitution, The Justice struck down slavery in the Commonwealth, declaring, “the idea of slavery is inconsistent with our own conduct and Constitution”. The same argument used by an enslaved woman to an attorney had now become the deciding factor in freeing all slaves in the state.
Freeman’s argument ended up being an important precedent for many cases freeing the slaves in northern states. For example, in the case of The State v. Lasselle in which all slaves were freed in the state of Indiana, the opinion stated Freeman’s same argument. It cited that the notion of slavery itself conflicted with the free and equal statement in Indiana’s constitution. Freeman was the first to use the court system to sue for her own freedom which ended up being an important technique used by abolitionists at the time since rewriting their constitutions would be a lot more difficult. With precedent used by courts as an important tool in other court decisions, her case and the Quock Walker case were very important for cases in other states. After her initial stand against the common thought of slavery in the land, there was a significant decline in the number of slaves in the north until there eventually were none at all.
Census data shows the rapid decrease of slaves in the north following the year of Freeman's case. (Statistics of Slaves, United States Census Bureau)
Following Massachusetts, one by one the northern states abolished slavery. At the time of her trial, only two states, Vermont and Pennsylvania, had passed legislation in an attempt to curb slavery. But by 1827 all northern states were free, the last one being her birth state of New York. She died two years later, and the writing on her gravestone effectively summarized the person that she was, “She was born a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years; She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal. She neither wasted time nor property.”
W.E.B. DuBois was a descendant of Freeman, and became a prominent author and civil rights activist. (WEB DuBois, 1918, Library of Congress)
She was influential to many future abolitionists and civil rights leaders, including her own posterity W. E. B. DuBois. Despite her lack of an education and oppression due to her ethnicity, Freeman used her strong will to take a stand against her unjust captivity. Faced with the possibility of extreme retribution, she pressed on. Had Sedgwick denied her case or the courts ruled in Ashley’s favor, Freeman would have certainly returned to a state of slavery more miserable than before. Nevertheless, the possibility of freedom, however scarce, was worth any consequences brought against her. She was an incredible example of fearlessness and passion for her cause. Rising from her lowly circumstances, she became an example for abolitionists for years to come.