The Two Faces Of American Freedom Summary

America is the universal symbol of freedom. But is it really free? Does the history of the United States stay true to the ideas of our forefathers? Or has the definition been altered to fit American policies? Has freedom defined America? Or has America defined freedom? I believe America was at first defined by freedom, then after time, America defined freedom, altering the definition to fit the niche it fits in, but still keeping key components so it still seems to be staying true to the ideas of America’s founding fathers.

A common theme emerged for the African American people; the government may say that everyone is in this fight together but we, as African Americans, now this is not true. From the segregated military to the non-willing acceptance of African American workers in wartime factories the African American people felt that they fought a two-sided war. This two-sided approach to war took a name for itself, The Double V Campaign. African Americans joined the fight for freedom just like all other Americans, but many thought this to be the time and place to advocate for civil right,

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.

We often grow accustomed to the freedoms we have and as a result we seldom think of the difficulties the people before us had to overcome. In particular, an era which helped us establish some of our freedoms is the Progressive era. The Progressive era was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States, and the Progressive reformers within the era made sure that future generations would benefit from the reforms they pursed for improved industrial conditions, living conditions, and politics. Before people of the Progressive era would see reforms they had to endure hazardous and straining industrial conditions. By way of illustration, workers during the time had zero safety conditions which led to a widespread

The way the Americans gained independence may not be as valiant as it seems. The war lacked just war criteria despite many arguments. The idea was foolish and unnecessary and proved the lack of development amongst this young territory. Many factors lead to this premature uprising and the French and Indian War is a great reason for most of those factors. The decision by the American colonists to revolt against British rule was premature and overly aggressive.

In Eric Foner’s book, The Story of American Freedom, he writes a historical monograph about how liberty came to be. In the book, his argument does not focus on one fixed definition of freedom like others are tempted to do. Unlike others, Foner describes liberty as an ever changing entity; its definition is fluid and does not change in a linear progress. While others portray liberty as a pre-determined concept and gradually getting better, Foner argues the very history of liberty is constantly reshaping the definition of liberty, itself. Essentially, the multiple and conflicting views on liberty has always been a “terrain of conflict” and has changed in time (Foner xv).

In For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer, Chana Kai Lee resurrects the compelling narrative of one of the most dynamic black women leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Lee provided the reader with an extended list of primary and secondary sources, providing intimate details that ultimately revealed Hamer as an exemplary individual who was chosen as a symbol of hope for Black Americans subject to constant injustices. Lee equally exposed Hamer’s pains along with her strengths and providing that balance gave the reader the opportunity to understand Hamer as the historic icon and the sharecropper’s daughter; “In any case, it is important to probe behind the fearless public figure to reach her private thoughts and feelings” (Lee, pg. 60).

Foner emphasizes on the diverse interpretations of freedom, and based on people’s lived experiences within American society, it can represent different things. Since it has no fixed definition within the article, Foner views freedom as a concept and states “by its very nature is the subject of disagreement” (xiv). People’s worldview can help shape what freedom means to them and it may limit what freedom means to others. Although the Declaration of Independence promotes all humans having unalienable rights given by the creator, which are life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not all americans are able to enjoy those rights in American society. As American societal norms constantly change (eventually),

America is the greatest nation on earth, and many people want America to continue to prosper. The only way for America to continue to be the most powerful nation on earth is through the automobile. The automobile has for a century been a symbol of America’s greatness and dominance, and as the essay “Americas Key to Freedom” reports that it has had a key role in maintaining America’s economy.1

Since the creation of the United States, the meaning of freedom has changed to meet changing attitudes. Throughout our nation’s history, there have been significant periods of racial, economic and civil rights inequalities. There are different meanings for freedoms that have been established throughout the historical period of the United States. During this modern era, the US had certain periods of time that lived up to the ideals of freedom such as the Gilded Age. In opposition, the US has also had periods of time where our ideals of freedom failed to meet the requirements of our nation, a prime example being the late 1940s when the US entered the Cold War and led to the anti-communism period of McCarthyism which ultimately restricted

As the United States entered WWII, the abstract idea of “American freedom” came to mean different things to different demographics of people. FDR condensed “American freedom” into the “Four Freedoms”-Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. Essentially, these freedoms served as an ideological basis and justification for America’s involvement in WWII and shift from its previous isolationist policy. According to Foner, “FDR described [America’s] protections against tyrannical government as defining characteristics of American life, central to other rights of ‘free men and free women’”(918). FDR espoused the the Four Freedoms in a “crusade” for democracy. As an emerging world power, FDR believed that it

Americans have never accepted being told what to do. They do not tolerate dictatorship and the limiting of their freedom. In 1919, an American freedom was taken. When the government began regulating the consumption of alcohol (Prohibition), they created one of the largest internal rebellions that Americans have ever participated in. Alongside the battle that had previously existed for racial equality, women are still on the hunt for total equality. Females of all ages and backgrounds are still fighting for the same opportunities that are presented to males. Future struggles are to be anticipated to these battles that have displayed the fire within Americans and how they refuse to conform to beliefs that they do not

The American Ideological Consensus is that “…the American people have shared much of the same ideals, the same basic principles, and the same patterns of belief” (McClenaghan 104). When America filled itself with ideologically homogenous people, their beliefs started to define our nation and became American identities. If asked what they think of America, peoples of other nations would say that the roads are made of glass, opportunity is in the air, and civil rights are plentiful. These accounts maybe accentuated; however, the underlying message is that the American people have more freedoms then the peoples of other nations do. The most widely known American identity is freedom, and even though that American identity has been tried and

Freedom begins with you. It begins with your mind, with your thoughts, and your beliefs. Have you ever thought about the meaning of freedom? To me, freedom means to be able to learn from your mistakes. If there wasn’t freedom, everyone would be getting controlled and wouldn’t have the power to act, speak, or think as one wants to. Freedom is letting you make your own path and not having someone make it for you. The people who gave us this freedom are the veterans. A veteran is someone who has served in the military and while they are serving they are deciding to serve and protect our country. A quote from Wayne Walter Dyer reads “ Freedom means you are unobstructed in living as you choose. Anything less is a form of slavery.” Therefore the

Many ideas are important within the American culture, but to the American sense of patriotism, freedom is most fundamental. The idea of freedom is central to the American politics – which is at times referred to as liberty. Since the birth of the nation, freedom has been the vocabulary of the American language and its importance cannot be underestimated. The Declaration of Independence, for instance, ranks liberty as an inalienable right. On the other hand, the Constitution reckons that it purposes to protect civilians’ liberty. The importance of freedom has even stretched further than the political arena and has prompted the birth of civil rights movements and other activist protests. The Cold War and the Civil War were all for the cause of freedom. The importance that Americans attach to freedom can also be demonstrated from the erection of statues, banishment of slavery, use of liberty poles and a right to vote for adults. For many years, women and the African Americans have for a long time fought against denial and infringement of their freedom . However, given the importance that Americans affiliate to freedom in the conceptualization of their country, it has been the subject of modifications over the course of years especially before the Revolutionary War.