Freedom Or Lack Of Freedom

The Slave narrative documentary; Unchained Memories, released in 2003, brought to light many things that had not before been seen, or even thought of by many people. Even before the film was released, the telling of the stories inside changed many ideas regarding slavery. The history of slavery in the United States of America has always been commonly known, but not many people have, at this point in time, had to really think of what that meant, what slavery truly was to the millions of Africans, and African-Americans who experienced it. The film and the stories themselves changed many people’s views on slavery, by enlightening them.

Freedom is defined as the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement. It is the power to determine action without restraint and the exemption from external control, interference, and regulation. Americans, these days, commonly regard their society as the freest and the best in the world. Their understanding of freedom has been shaped and based upon the founding fathers’ belief that all people are equal and that the role of the government is to protect each person’s basic “inalienable” rights. The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights assures individual rights including freedom of speech, press, and religion. America has changed dramatically from the country our founding fathers discovered. Some could even argue that

War, Slavery, Sexism, and Lack of freedom, these were the issues America has faced that put our country through an uproar. Present day America has been through several trials and tribulations in the past to get to the peaceful state it is today. Throughout the course of time America has been hit with unfortunate periods of feuds with countries near and far, determining how little freedom you have based on your gender or race, and in most cases having the government dictate what happens in your life. Despite our hardships, America took baby steps to improve its country. These little and small changes brought us on the journey to turn America into the powerful nation it is now. American history gave us hope for the future.

(3) When first reading these narratives one would often assume, by what history tells us, that slave owners were cruel, hated men who often beat slaves severely if they committed even the slightest infraction. While this depiction does stand true for some slave owners, I was surprised to find that most of the former slaves interviewed in the “Slave Narratives” often held their masters in high regards, referring to them as kind and good. Former slave Harriett Gresham even goes as far to say that her master, Mr. Bellinger was “exceptionally kind”. Many slaves in the narratives described their masters as good to his slaves and never whipping them unless it was absolutely necessary. However, when the former slaves spoke of the “paterollers”, white men who roamed the roads in search of runaway slaves often beating them and returning them to their owners, they were described as being very cruel to slaves showing no sympathy to any slave found running away from a

Slavery was nothing more than a cruel Institution, that degraded the lives of many African Americans. Slavery was brutal and inhumane at its very. Although slavery has been abolished, many slaves have published narratives that vividly illustrate the abuse and maltreatment they have endured. Mary Prince, a west Indian slave was one out of many slaves to publish her narrative that recounts her life and sheds light on the barbarous ways in which she was treated. One can learn so much about African slavery in the Americas from reading Mary Princes Memoir.

The red-hot iron of a brand is pressed against cows to show ownership. Reigns on a horse are used to push the animal to work harder. Humans were once treated the same way. Slaves were bought and sold as property, so the buyers had ownership. Slaves were also whipped and beaten to do more for their master. Sound familiar? These slaves were treated as animals; like cows being branded or a horse being whipped to go faster. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs are two well-known, successful authors, and both went through this harsh reality of slavery. Douglass, slave narrative author of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, experiences and witnesses the cruelty of the

Freedom and the way it is seen is always changing, even in today’s time. When new presidents are elected for example, this gives significant power to whoever is elected. Their views on things like color or restrictions on people can impact everyone. Even the word itself has many meanings to it that vary. Many times, laws get passed by the government that we think is helping the nation expand, this is not always the case. From the Post-Civil War, up to the twenty-first century there has been plenty of examples that have expanded but have also limited freedom.

Throughout history, humans have enslaved humans. If slavery never existed, neither would temples or civilization or pyramids. Although they have always provided what is needed, owners would still abuse and mistreat their slaves. However, some slaves have written books about their life in slavery and the cruelties they endured. These stories are called slave narratives, pieces of literature that are written by slaves about their own personal lives (Gale 1). The purpose of these narratives is to show the harmful lives of slaves and what they had to endure (“Slave” 1). Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass are two slaves who are famous for their narratives. Both authors wrote about the hardships in and out of slavery and they are both well educated

This collage we have created by how slaves were treated in the book “Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave.” We had determined and imagined how slaves were treated from the explanation of the book. Slaves were abused different ways that no other humans could resist. They were physically abused, sexually abused, emotional abused, starved, and got a little cloth even in the winter.

Looking back and seeing how bad slavery was not so long ago makes you think you have it so good now. Unfortunately for many African Americans that’s not the way they can tell their story. For many their story begins with being owned by someone and having absolutely no say for what they did with their own life, and had to follow somebody’s orders all the time. In the novel “Incidents a Salve Girl”, Harriet Jacobs demonstrates her story of being a slave which began when she was only six years old soon after her mother passed away then immediately being sold to her owners, the Flints, while her attempt to leave the cruel situation to gain her freedom. Jacobs demonstrates how she suffered both the physical and psychological abuse she suffered while she was a slave.

When martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed to the world that he had a dream, people stopped and realized it didn’t have to be just a dream. People didn’t just listen to what this leader had to say, they actually heard him, and they understood him. Society today reflects the hundreds of peaceful, or sometimes not so peaceful, protests held by leaders of our past and present that were heard and understood. Without peaceful protest to laws, segregation may still be in America. Same sex marriage may not be legal. Women may not have as many rights as they do now. Freedom today in America, for example, is different than freedom fifty years ago. Freedom today includes all peoples instead of a select few. Resistance to laws brought this free society farther

Although it may appear basic, stereotypical, or over used, freedom is essential to being an American. All aspects of America build upon this foundational idea. Think back to America’s humble beginnings. The first Americans built a country from nothing, fueled by strong work ethic and a hunger for freedom. Revolutionary leaders like George Washington and Alexander Hamilton stood for an entity greater than themselves.

Freedom is something all Americans have pride in, but do they actually know what freedom is and how it has changed over the last century or so. The definition of freedom has changed dramatically over time and any American should know how it has changed, or they will take many freedoms they have for granted and potentially lose them if they are not careful. Certain events throughout history have affected the way American view their freedom. After the Civil War, many changes were made to make sure that everyone had equal freedom, but they failed in their attempts to ensure freedom and equality.

Freedom means living life as one wants, everything else is a form of slavery. If a person is not allowed to make his or hers decisions, if he or she is not free to live life as he/she wants than he/she doesn’t have power over his or her existence. If freedom was not essential for every human being than no one would have found so fiercely for it. If it was not important than today we would not be still fighting to keep and extend our freedom.

Women always covet to have a happy marriage. In the wedding, women always expect that the husband will be a person always support her, make her happy, and she could be sharing everything with him. If everybody is satisfied with their marriage, there is not exist of divorce. The number of divorces is rising every year; it means that they are not happy with their wedding, and the reason lead to divorce that they do not have the same standpoint or unrealistic expectations and lack of commitment. As in the story “Trifles,” the woman is depressed of her marriage and her life become embroil by marriage. As a result, she solves her marriage with unexpected way. In the story, the author uses many symbols such as the bird, birdcage, and the rope to emphasize the story. Furthermore, not only symbols, but the author also made isolation, justice, and ingratitude to make a theme in the story.