Keckly’s son “came into the world by no will” of her own. Her motive for requesting liberation was because she did not want her son to be born into slavery like she was. Originally, when Keckly asked her master for freedom, he refused. In other cases, similar to Keckly’s situation, freedom was granted due to loyalty, service, or good behavior. In some cases, slaveholders exercised the act of manumission because a slave had surpassed a capable age to effectively execute the labor that needed to be completed on the plantations and were no longer of best use to their slave owners. The reasons for a slaveholder to decide to free his or her slaves varied upon the owner. However, she herself would sign her name “Elizabeth” or “Lizzy Keckly.” Thus in this blog post, much like Jennifer Fleischner’s book, Elizabeth’s name will be spelt as “Lizzy Keckly” in order to restore her voice in history and present Lizzy how she presented herself. “Lizzie Keckley” is the spelling most commonly seen. Elizabeth Keckly spelled her name differently than how it appears in history books and most published articles, and how even Abraham Lincoln’s wife spelt it. The spelling of her name speaks to her strength and her ability to find independence and individuality in a life that was oppressive in its majority.

Her fidelity in service to her slaveowners was recognized and honored through Lizzy Keckly and her son’s liberation. Elizabeth Keckly was a loyal slave for many years to master Colonel A. Her life is important to discuss when analyzing the act of manumission, which is when a slaveholder decides to free their own slaves. Elizabeth Keckly’s story is a remarkable one.

Elizabeth keckley thirty years a slave