November 8, 1864. Election Day. Abraham Lincoln watches from a White House window, convinced he might lose. Three thousand miles away in Los Angeles, a Confederate hotbed in a so-called free state, Biddy Mason has more riding on the result than almost anyone in the country. Sixteen years earlier, she walked from Mississippi to Utah at the back of a Mormon wagon train, enslaved, with three young daughters in tow. Her owner then carried her into California, where slavery was illegal and where, for years, nobody enforced the law. In 1856, a sheriff’s posse rode into the owner’s camp in the Santa Monica Mountains with a court order. What followed was a trial before a former slaveholder, a verdict that freed fourteen people, and a second act in which a formerly enslaved midwife became one of the wealthiest Black women in America. How did a slave ranch operate in plain sight in a free state? And how did Biddy Mason win, not once, but twice? With Kevin Waite, Professor of History at the University of Texas at Dallas and author of The Boundless Biddy Mason; and Jackie Broxton, President and Founder of the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation. This episode includes a mention of sexual violence. Please listen with care. To stay updated on all things HISTORY This Week, sign up at historythisweekpodcast.com. Have thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for ad-free listening and bonus episodes at htwpod.com. Credits: Jon Earle | Host/Producer Dan Rosato | Sound Designer Ben Dickstein | Executive Producer Eli Lehrer | Executive Producer Liv Fidler | Executive Producer Get in touch: [email protected] Follow on Instagram: @historythisweekpodcast Follow on Facebook: ⁠HISTORY This Week Podcast⁠ To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-this-week/id1493453604 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2YFm0ezrXmMqLXbxgZpkmd?si=9a84fadee11447d4 Audacy: https://www.audacy.com/podcast/history-this-week-71b4d Subscribe for more HISTORY: http://histv.co/SubscribeHistoryYT Check out exclusive HISTORY content: History Newsletter - https://histv.co/newsletter Website - https://histv.co/History Facebook - https://histv.co/Facebook TikTok - http://bit.ly/4kZKjXi HISTORY® is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, premium documentaries, and scripted event programming.