Jenny Slew (c. 1719 – after 1765) was one of the first enslaved Black Americans to sue for her freedom, and the first person to succeed through trial by jury.
[1] A year later, Slew brought an appeal to the Essex Superior Court of Judicature in Salem, Massachusetts, where she faced a trial by jury.
[1] Whipple argued that Slew could not prove that she was free and that he owned proof of sale for when he purchased her.
[1][4] The superior court reversed the ruling by deciding that whether a child was enslaved or not was determined by the mother's race.
[8][9] John Adams, future president of the United States, was most likely present at Slew's trial.