Alexina Morrison Sues For Freedom

In 1857, a 15-year-old girl named Jane, or Alexina, Morrison escaped slavery and sued her purchaser, New Orleans slave trader James White, claiming that she was a kidnapped white girl and therefore legally free. She also sought $10,000 in damages, while her claim generated such strong public anger against White that a mob threatened to lynch him. The case produced a mistrial, a unanimous 1859 verdict for Morrison, and another verdict in her favor in January 1862. White appealed again, but Union forces regained control of New Orleans before a fourth trial could occur, and slavery eventually ended across the United States.

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