Knowing the Meaning of Freedom
Freedom and liberties are the most popular and significant topic in the United States. However, what’s the freedom and who can enjoy the freedom became the controversial arguments in America during its post-civil war period. Since people with different gender, different race, and even different customs may have their own opinions and prospects of the rights they should have, white Americans, African Americans, immigrants and even women were trying to define and strive for their own freedom. Compared African American and American women, after the reconstruction of the United States, the former one mainly strove for their personal liberty such as free marriage and political rights like voting because of their previous cruel life of slavery, whereas women not only strove for their equal rights but also their social respect due to their low social condition before war.
Africa American is one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States.
In the 18th and 19th century, African Americans were also the major part of the slave —people who were owned and controlled by slave-holders (people who decide where slave live and at what they work.) Slaves’ rights were strongly limited. They were not allowed to move freely, but always be monitored. They were denied rights of education, and there even did not exist the law to support slaves’ marriages. They could not have any economic/social independence and political right in the country. African American
In America, the lives of Africans did not get any easier. Once the demand for labor began increasing dramatically, more and more Africans were imported to America. Originally, white people and black people worked together in the plantations. As a result of the increase in Africans in these British colonies, less white people took jobs on plantations. Eventually, enslavement became based on race. Numerous slave codes were developed, which included denying slaves the right to be out past sunset and denying slaves the right to meet in groups of three or more. These Africans forced to live enslaved in America were treated as if they were inferior to white people. It is discouraging to think about the fact that this country, though it was long ago, once accepted this kind of social injustice.
Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is
Americans value to have the right of equality and liberty, unfortunately not everyone is providential or important enough in society to exceed those values. The struggle for the right of freedom has always been a part of American history and still continues into the 21st century. The country as a whole has struggled to come to an agreement as to who is worthy of equality and freedom. Throughout America, the tension of slavery and women's equality has risen until the people finally realized their worth and that they are not any less of a person because of their gender or race. American history has affected life as we know today and shows the dedication to making America the true land of the free. By comparing and contrasting the perspectives
For the greater part of the nineteenth century, black people were slaves for white men. The Fourteenth Amendment was placed into effect to protect the rights of the black community after emancipation. It stated that, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” would be supported under the doctrine. However, this article failed to uphold the rights of the newly freed slaves. The blacks, ridiculed and scorned by the public, were greatly suppressed by the white backlash. The states put into effect laws that would suppress the blacks even further, even though they were protected under the Amendment. The states made stipulations on rights the African Americans were granted, like the right to own land, vote, and even hold certain jobs. Voting was a major controversy for the newly freed slaves, they wanted the chance to be heard through politics. Nevertheless, they were still denied the simple right to vote in many of the states if they could not meet the prerequisites for reading or could not pay a voting tax. They made contracts for them to work for white men, just as if they were slaves and nothing changed. Black people were still waiting for their salvation under this new piece of legislation, but were unable to grasp it through the government. African Americans stood for their newly given rights under the Constitution and were denied by the people who put
When you ask people what freedom is they may respond that freedom is when you can do whatever you want to do at whatever time. Mostly this will be the response of kids and young adults. But this definition of freedom is incorrect. Freedom is when we are allowed to have power of right to act without violating other people's freedoms or rights. The most effective tools for establishing and preserving freedom are strong government and constitution. A quote that can help out the claim comes from the Declaration of independence “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
Freedom is a fundamental human right that all Americans enjoy today. Foner defines freedom as the ability of an individual to do as he/she wishes as long as long as the actions are within the law and respect the right of others (2). Accordingly, freedom is among the rights that are anchored in American constitution to protect the civil liberties of all Americans. Today, America is regarded as a democratic country that operates within the rule of law partly because of its respect for human rights (Romano 3). However, history shows that the freedom that African Americans enjoy today did not come easily; rather came after a long and enduring struggle by Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968). It is noted that, unlike white Americans who enjoyed freedom to do as they wished in the early 19th century, African Americans were denied the freedom to operate freely like their white counterparts (Foner 6). Therefore, because curtailing the freedom of African Americans were denying them the opportunity to advance socially, economically and politically, the Civil Rights Movement was formed by Martin Luther King Junior and colleagues to fight against racial segregation and to ensure that African Africans gain equal rights as the whites. This essay seeks to explore the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968) struggle for freedom and
Slaves were not considered citizens in America before the fourteenth amendment was added to the national constitution, and blacks held no rights within the law. The white people had total control over regulations and politics, and used that to their advantage to keep slaves and free blacks on an inferior societal level. Slaves had no records of a human being in a state, no name, title, or register. They couldn’t collect any money, make purchases, and they had no heirs, meaning they couldn’t make a will. Whatever they acquired went to their masters. Additionally, they couldn’t plead or be pleaded for. Slaves were not entitled to the rights and considerations of matrimony, and had no relief in the cases of adultery. They were basically a property rather than a human being; slave owners could sell, trade, or transfer the blacks.
In the United States of America after the Revolutionary War, freedom was a very relative term. According to the constitution all men were created equal and therefore all men are free. However, in this time prior to the American Civil War this was not the case. There existed, what would eventually be called an immoral evil by some abolitionists in, slavery. Slaves were African-Americans brought to the United States, specifically the South, and treated and sold at auction as if they were property not human beings. This would lead to a great many conflicts both physically and verbally as time progressed, eventually sparking a Civil War. The focus of this paper is on the
The time period, 1890 – 1930, for the United States was an ever-changing period of history marked by increased freedoms, times of economic prosperity, and times of economic struggle. From imperialism and wars to progressivism and the vivacious twenties, the United States struggled to find its identity and define American citizenship. However, in its heart, the United States claimed to be a free nation with equality. Despite this claim, many minorities were left restricted from the independence and freedoms of a white, male citizen. Specifically, women, African Americans, and Native Americans were restricted from obtaining the independent status of a white male in the United States. While some minorities, such as African Americans and women did gain greater independence and freedoms as time progressed, even these freedoms were inevitably restricted. Thus the one word to describe the time period from 1890-1930, restriction - specifically restricted independence and freedom - contradicts the United States claim to freedom and independence for everyone.
Slavery, defined in Webster’s dictionary as the “condition in which one human being is owned by another”, was a heinous crime against humanity that was legal and considered a normality in America from 1619 to 1865. In 1865, the Union won the Civil War against the Confederates and declared that African American slaves be emancipated. Before their emancipation, African American families were split up, never to see each other again. Their rights of political and social freedoms were also stripped away from them, and they were “reduced to a bare life [,] stripped of every right by virtue of the fact that anyone can kill him [or her] without committing homicide… and yet he [or she] is in a continuous relationship with the power that is banished him [or her]” (Agamben). Slaves were kept under strict rule in the South, making their chances of gaining freedom very slim. State governments in slave states enforced anti-literacy laws, outlawing African Americans from writing, or learning to read and write. These laws helped ensure that slaves stayed slaves for life and were unable to escape. This form of bare life, that slaves were subjected to, can be compared to a less extreme version of Hitler and the Jews. Instead of a mass killing spree, however, African Americans were exploited and oppressed as a labor force.
Throughout history, African Americans both free and enslaved were not treated equally nor permitted with the same rights as white men. African Americans were enslaved and not allowed to vote or hold public office. Since the 15th century, African Americans have been treated less than human, some even experienced brutal punished for justifiable mistakes. The use of African American slave labor was an enormous contribution to agriculture and labor. It became a part of southern state’s economy within America. Additionally, African Americans were forced or born into slavery where they endured harsh working conditions with zero pay and often times were punished by their masters. Even slaves that became emancipated or paid for their freedom were also treated differently than whites. Notably, blacks did not have the same privileges as whites and were forced to carry a “freedom card” wherever they went. Failing to do so would lead to severe consequences, such as being forced back into slavery. Once African Americans were considered free, they faced additional discriminations such as not being able to vote or serve as a figure in public office. Due to this and additional factors, African Americans were almost entirely incapable of defending themselves against whites. Since the start of the 17th century, African Americans, free and enslaved were punished for their skin color and were considered the lowest scale by not being allowed to the same opportunities and rights and white men.
Albeit, the African Americans were relieved of slavery, but they continued to be treated unequally in all other positions of their lives. Their lives were heavily restricted in terms of associating with whites. The color of their skin completely changed how African Americans were regarded. They were not free because they had limited choices, including where they could go, what they could do, and who they could marry. Even though they were acknowledged, they were not respected and their rights as humans were incomplete. Slavery was an impactful and apparently ceaseless era of time, and when it finally came to a close, blacks had a sense of freedom, but they were left with a very narrowed lifestyle. Blacks, like the rest of us, should be treated as equal; but in the 1800’s, and even in the modern day, they were
In today's society it is hard to believe that once a person was denied freedom because of the color of their skin. In the 1800 African Americans were treated poorly and were denied their freedom. The freedoms African Americans were denied was their social freedom which is the freedom to socialize with who ever you want and to marry who you want, Political freedom which is to vote and to be able to run for political jobs and economic freedom is to able to spend money and make money and able to get a job , pay taxes and to own land. A lot of people of think that in the north African Americans were free but in my opinion they were not. In this essay we will be talking about how African Americans were not free in the north.
For generations, we as a society have evaluated what we call our freedoms, as they constantly continue to influence our quality of life. In the 1940s, President Franklin Roosevelt's Message to Congress promised the people of America Four Freedoms, or freedoms that are imperative to human life. These freedoms included freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Freedom of speech goes back to the first amendment where there is the liberty of expression. Freedom of worship allows people to practice any belief system they desire, as well as worship the God that they please. Freedom from want meant no citizen should have to yearn for the basic needs to survive, and should be provided with a standard living. Finally, freedom from fear meant for there to be no fear of having to use aggression against a neighbor, in addition to being granted peace and a sense of security. These were the guaranteed freedoms stated by the president for the future. However, as time progressed and certain events in history began occurring, these freedoms may have slipped from view and become less practiced. It is clear to see that the United States government did not effectively uphold these freedoms during, the time the U.S declared war against the Japanese, during the scare of Communism, and in the day to day life for citizens in minority groups.
The African American experience is one that is quite different from other racial/ ethnic groups. The majority of the first African American came over, unwillingly, on ships from various African countries. They were brought to America by white, European settlers to be used as slaves in an order to plant and harvest their crops and make money for the white man. This racial group was treated as if they were property and not people. However, with the ending of the American Civil War, African Americans gained freedom, freedom that not all white American were quite ready to handle. After gaining their freedom came the need for education, jobs and suffrage rights. Now in America this racial group has come a long way, having elected its first African American present for two terms, yet still there are many issues that are very prevalent. This racial group has been fighting their way to equality since the birth of this nation. African Americans have experienced an array of conflict, violence, stereotypes, prejudice acts, and discrimination against them throughout their history in America.