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the case was pending. In the summer of 1832, the case went to trial, and the jury found in
Williams' favor on July 2, 1832. Williams won the case, and along with it, freedom for herself, her children, and her descendants. The jury likely determined that her 1815 sale was in violation of the Maryland Act of 1796. Under Maryland law at the time, domestic slave traders were not permitted to import slaves into Maryland for the purpose of selling them.
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In 1828, Williams filed a freedom suit to the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the DC circuit, claiming that George Miller Sr. and George Miller Jr. had enslaved her illegally. Her attorney was Francis Scott Key, who convinced the court to grant her a certification of protection to live independently while
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By this period, she was living in freedom, reunited with her husband, and living with four children. While she was never reunited with her two daughters that had been illegally sold, she said that "always prays for them, and expects to meet them up there." Williams continued to have challenges
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writers sharing the story as an example of the human indignities of the slave trade. Williams fractured her arms and broke her back due to the fall, but she survived. After her fall, the slave trader left
Williams behind but still took her two daughters away to be sold.
87:, a prominent Philadelphia physician and anti-slavery writer who was gathering first-hand narratives by African Americans of slavery and kidnapping. In December 1815, he visited and interviewed Williams who was still recovering at the tavern.
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In
November 1815, Williams was sold to Georgia slave traders and forcibly separated from her family. During this period, she jumped from the third-floor window of the F Street Tavern in
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45:. Her lawsuit and her infamous jump from the window of the F Street Tavern heightened public awareness of the terror and suffering caused by the
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172:"Case Overview: Ann Williams, Ann Maria Williams, Tobias Williams, & John Williams v. George Miller & George Miller Jr"
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Select
Committee to Inquire into the Existence of an Inhuman and Illegal Traffic in Slaves in the District of Columbia,
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area. Williams was originally enslaved at a plantation in
Bladensburg. She was married; they had six children.
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The story of
Williams' life is taught in public middle and high school history classes in the United States.
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HR 14A-C.17.4, Committee on the
District of Columbia, RG 233, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
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Artist's 1817 rendering of
Williams' infamous jump from the F Street Tavern. Published in
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Her jump from the window and the circumstances surrounding it helped to prompt a formal
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who had been gathering evidence of kidnappings related to the interstate slave trade.
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related to her mobility throughout her later life, but was still able to walk.
385:"Ann Williams, a Slave Who Sued for Freedom - The Atlantic - The Atlantic"
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Chocolate City: A History of Race and
Democracy in the Nation's Capital
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Torrey also included Williams' story in his 1817 anti-slavery book,
470:"Nebraska-produced 'Anna' collects top animation prize at festival"
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229:"This Bladensburg Woman's Rebellion Against Slavery Made History"
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324:"Ann William's Brave Steps to Freedom – CUNY Rare Book Scholars"
249:"'Anna' team combines to tell slave's story through innovation"
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in 1816. The chairperson of the select committee, Congressman
357:"O Say Can You See: Early Washington, D.C., Law & Family"
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Anna: One woman's quest for freedom in early Washington, D.C.
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In 1835, Williams was interviewed and shared her story with
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Slavery and the Domestic Slave Trade in the United States.
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Slavery and the Domestic Slave-Trade in the United States
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Williams' story is told in the 2018 animated short film,
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Asch, Chris Myers; Musgrove, George Derek (2017-10-17).
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Enslaved woman who successfully sued for her freedom
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109:but he did not identify her by name in the book.
43:United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit
449:"Anna Williams Teaching Guide & Curriculum"
342:Francis Scott Key, testimony, April 22, 1816,
107:A Portraiture of Slavery in the United States,
411:(Boston: Light & Stearns, 1836), 128-133.
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286:10.5149/northcarolina/9781469660868.003.0003
274:"As If They Had Been Joined by a Clergyman"
120:when he was writing his forthcoming book,
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41:for herself and her children before the
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510:19th-century African-American people
33:(born c. 1791 – d. unknown) was an
25:"A Portraiture of Domestic Slavery"
57:Williams was born into slavery in
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520:People from Bladensburg, Maryland
47:slave trade in the United States
227:Beckwith, Alison (2021-02-27).
322:Abbasi, Amanda (13 May 2020).
272:Parry, Tyler D. (2020-11-09),
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525:People from Washington, D.C.
505:19th-century American slaves
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83:News of her fall reached
456:Nebraska C3 Teachers Hub
37:woman who successfully
407:Andrews, Ethan Allen.
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515:American women slaves
361:earlywashingtondc.org
176:earlywashingtondc.org
92:Congressional inquiry
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427:. UNC Press Books.
389:www.theatlantic.com
205:annwilliamsfilm.com
118:Ethan Allen Andrews
31:Anna "Ann" Williams
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434:978-1-4696-3587-3
278:Jumping the Broom
100:Francis Scott Key
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64:around the
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494:Categories
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155:References
304:246155677
143:See also
35:enslaved
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201:"Anna"
129:Legacy
452:(PDF)
300:S2CID
429:ISBN
290:ISBN
53:Life
282:doi
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