The Lost Story of an Enslaved Woman Who Sued for Restitution, and Won

The Lost Story of an Enslaved Woman Who Sued for Restitution, and Won

Constant Wonder - Season 2022, Episode 878 , Segment 2

George Dinning

Episode: George Dinning

  • Feb 18, 2021 7:00 pm
  • 21:05

Henrietta Wood was the recipient of the largest-known sum ever granted by a U.S. court in restitution for slavery, successfully suing Zebulon Ward, the man who had enslaved her, for $2,500. Her story was lost in history until a historian uncovered two interviews from Henrietta describing her experience in slavery and how she won restitution. Guest: W. Caleb McDaniel, Associate Professor of History at Rice University and author of “Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America”