HISTORY | LIFE
The Woman Who Sued Her Enslaver
The audacious act that earned Henrietta Wood a place in history books
Courage is feeling the fear and taking action anyway. That’s what the gurus tell us.
One woman, Henrietta Wood, earned herself a place in the history books when she took an audacious act in spite of her fears. The fear that she might fail and find herself in a worse position.
Fortunately for her, the outcome was good. Not as good as she had hoped but good enough for her to make her mark in history. Ms Wood sued her enslaver for unpaid wages and won the case.
Born in Kentucky in the early 19th century, Henrietta and her family were slaves of Moses Tousey. Her future looked bleak. After Tousey’s death she was sold and owned by two slave masters. The second of these was Mr William Cirode, a Frenchman whose fortunes turned for the worse not long after acquiring the young woman. Heavily in debt, the Frenchman abandoned his family to return to his native homeland, France.
His wife, Jane Cirode, was left to face debt collectors and the struggle of life as a single parent. In 1848 Mrs Cirode legally freed Ms Wood who, for the first time in her life, was able to earn money for her work.
