Quock Walker (1753-) was an American slave who sued for and won his freedom in a 1781 court case in Massachusetts.
Biography[]
Quock Walker was born in Massachusetts in 1753, the son of Ghanaian slaves. In 1781, Walker ran away after his owner reneged on his promise to free him, and he was later retrieved and severely beaten as punishment. He sued his master for assault and battery, arguing that he was a freeman under the state constitutional phrase "all men are bornr free and equal", and he won and was set free. In 1783, the decision was confirmed in an appeal to the state's superior court.