1860, September 6:  In the summer of 1860, a slave named Eliza Winston is brought to Minnesota by her master, a Mississippi plantation owner. Tourists from southern states travel by boat up the Mississippi River to see famous sights like the falls of Saint Anthony, sometimes bringing slaves with them.  Minnesota abolitionists say state law declares that no man or woman can be held in bondage in Minnesota, even if they are just visiting.  Antislavery activists in Minneapolis successfully petition a judge to have Eliza Winston freed.  She eventually moves to Canada.  Such actions take place across the contry as the movement to abolish slavery grows.

The following is an article from the Minneapolis Atlas newspaper that gives all the facts of the case. It proves that no citizens of Minnesota encouraged Eliza to claim her freedom. She had the idea before she left Mississippi. She asked her enslaver for her free papers when she arrived in Minnesota. When he refused, she asked for help so she could take her case to court. Two men interviewed her, and when they learned how serious she was they took her case to court, where she won her freedom.