Freedom Is A Powerful Word: Should African Americans Have Freedom !

In 1865, slavery was abolished, by the Thirteenth amendment. This Amendment brought humongous changes and a large number of problems. (Lecture 1) After the destruction of slavery, it left nearly four million African American with no property, little training, and few rights; which made the definition of freedom for African Americans the central question on the nation’s agenda. The big question of the time period was, “what was freedom for African Americans?” (Give me liberty! An American 550)

According to the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, "[...] all men are created equal, [and] they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." One would then expect that every man, would be entitled to their freedom, and it was true, for all white men. African-Americans, however, faced a very different reality. They were still forced into slavery, they were deprived of those rights that all men were meant to have. While the north states opposed slavery, it was permitted in the south, and as the slavery issue raged on, one man would stand to fight for his freedom. His case, would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court's decision would

The United States is a immigrant country, which faces varieties of problems. The African American problem is one of the most serious one. Racial segregation is a deep-rooted social problem, which reflects in every field in the United States. For example, education, labor market and criminal justice system. In the aspect of education, most of black children were not permitted to enter the school, because the white children studied there. In the aspect of labor market, the black people 's average wages were lower than the whites. They did the manual work. In the aspect of criminal justice system, the blacks were easily in jail. Badly, their sentences were also more serious than the whites. In general, the blacks live in the bottom of the American society. Martin Luther King delivered the famous speech I Have a Dream, ' ' I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. ' ' (1) However, it was difficult for African American to get the freedom. The 1776 Declaration of Independence announced that everyone are equal and freedom.But black slavery still occurred in the southern states of America. Then the Civil War broke out, African American kept struggling for land and political rights.

Certainly, freedom was supposed to be “freer”” for those slaves that had fought for their rights after years of submissionn, but, unfortunately, many white Southern people continued to ignore the law by not showing any respect for Africans-Americans. Because of the radical reconstruction in the south, the African-Americans were a step closer from the same political

We live in a country that has a pledge of allegiance that says “freedom for all” however black communities have not received their freedom. Freedom is defined as the power and right to act, speak, or think as one wants without any restraint. African Americans have not been allowed to enjoy any of these luxuries even after the end of slavery. African Americans had to face a variety of issues such as segregation, mass incarceration and poverty. These challenges continue to oppress African Americans, therefore, they still have to struggle to obtain freedom. Freedom in which they feel accepted anywhere and are exposed to the same opportunities and support as any other race. With leaders like, Reverend T. J. Jemison and W. E. B. DuBois, African Americans have been reminded and encouraged to keep striving through their life filled with struggles because they

The era of eighteenth and ninetieth century was full of uncertainty and fear for many. It is the results of decisions that were taken during this period which not only helped in shaping the America today but also changed the outlook of many other countries. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there were many forces and institutions activate who were playing role in the freedom of blacks. Other than the international forces, the most influential institutions were activated for and against the Black freedom in America. It is the result of those events that America is now called the United States.

It is necessary to consider that for white people freedom was inherent, while for black people it was a huge of a deal they had to fight for, or not even that. For blacks, liberty was not an option; they had been living under white control supported with such an institution as it was slavery. All these was based on a racial construct that perpetuated white privilege; a complex system of beliefs defending a theory about racial minorities being inferior to whites, unintelligent, or dangerous. Government response was insufficient and several times it adopted a passive attitude towards racism, due to their enrichment and gains in other matters subjugation of blacks provided them.

After centuries of being enslaved in the Americas, negroes, otherwise referred to as African Americans, progressively began to fight back in hopes of ascertaining freedom and liberty. Specifically, during the time period of 1550- 1800s, African Americans employed different tactics, that would aid them in gaining their independence. They did so in numerous ways, one of the many examples would include joining in the Revolutionary War. With the mindset, that by doing so, they were fighting for their freedom, this fueled them with enough ambition to fight. Likewise, another way in which African- Americans payed for their freedom was by actually paying for it. Black people could be “liberated” by their masters by paying with labor, or crops.

The definition of freedom according to the Dictionary.com definition number 17, is “the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination”. Freedom is the base of American society, it is something that is taken for granted, not every country has this luxury, others must demand freedom and fight for it. The people that don't have this luxury of freedom have to demand it then fight and struggle for it, it will never be just given, it is worth too much, it is being held back to benefit a higher power. In Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream Speech African Americans have some but very little freedom, they can act with free will to an extent, and they have to speak with extreme

There were great programs and amendments(13,14,&15) established during the reconstruction that make freedom seem equal, but in real time the abolishment of slavery did little or nothing at all for reframing the mind-frame of most ex-slaves and whites. For the most part ex-slaves were illiterate or poor or both in 1865 so to give this poor and illiterate individual this thing called “freedom” is (I think) a mockery of the word.

Most people understand that slavery was a terrible thing, but most might not fully understand the struggles that free colored men and women endured as well. While slavery was legal, free men would often be kidnapped and forced into slavery, and sometimes slaves actually escape to freedom. If an African American was considered a free man, he or she had to get official documentations stating so. Even after the documents were given to them, some of them still found themselves as slaves. There are many different stories about slavery, but just because a slave escapes from slavery, does not mean he or she is free from a slave’s mindset. Although they were in different positions in life, slaves and free African Americans experienced the same hardships, fears, and daily struggles.

After the Civil War the freedman were not truly free. The definition of freedom is the power, or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraints. After the Civil War the slaves were considered free, but they were not treated accordingly. For the whites to still have power over the black's and to keep them in order the new laws started coming out so they don’t try and overpower the whites. In Alabama the new laws Governing the slaves, in Mississippi the Black Codes, and in various states the Jim Crow laws.

Even though freedom has been our nation’s identity for its entire existence, our nation has suffered “dark ages” when the freedoms of African Americans were repressed. During the period of slavery, African Americans were forced to labor under often cruel and gruesome conditions, for their white masters. Solomon Northup, a free man forcefully made a slave, describes his thoughts on slavery in his 12 Years a Slave:

The United States of America is known for its claims of democracy, equality, and freedom for all of it’s citizens. These claims are the foundation of America’s independence and essentially its entire history. But “claims” are simply all they were in history. While many achieved equal democracy and freedom, the African-American population of the US was exempt from these “inalienable rights” and heavily oppressed by society. The cruelty of slavery and oppression as a whole reached its peak in the 19th century bringing upon the abolitionist movement, which eventually aided in the historic removal of slavery and the continued fight for equal right of citizenship for African-Americans. Of the many abolitionists who fought for

The United States promotes that freedom is a right deserved by all humanity. Throughout the history of America the government has found ways to deprive selected people this right by race, gender, class and in other ways as well for its own benefit. This is a boundary of freedom. Boundaries of freedom outline who is able to enjoy their freedom and who isn’t. These people alter with time and as history unfolds. Slavery and the journey of their freedom was a big part of the foundation of the United States. At the beginning of the Civil War, Lincoln’s goal was to restore the Union and planned on keeping slavery present in the states. African American’s journey to freedom and what freedom means was a long