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Summary Of Voices Of Freedom By Erik Foner

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‘Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History/Edition 4, by Erik Foner is a book that addresses a theme in the history of America as it pertains to freedom. The author argues that, the idea of freedom is dynamic as it is constantly changing. Based on the US history, the struggle for freedom has been in existence since time immemorial. Eric Foner argues that, freedom has undergone transformation since the Cold War and the American Revolution. There are different definitions of freedom, and different individuals/groups hold those definitions based on their opinions. Different definitions of freedom According to Erik Foner, there are different definitions of freedom. Foner argues that freedom means different to different people at different times, …show more content…

These people desired to have freedom by the revocation of slavery. In this regard, they wanted to have equal rights just like normal people (Foner, p.94). The people were advocating for the abolishment of slavery as they viewed it as highly oppressive (Foner, p.95). These people felt that they were not enjoying equal rights as other people. Just like anyone else, they advocated for the rights to vote as they felt discriminated in this area. According to Foner, Freedmen had no rights of land ownership and they were not equal to other citizens (Foner, p.96). They felt that they did not enjoy the right of choosing their leaders through voting. Additionally, the people felt that they lacked rights of dedicating their responsibilities and loyalty to their country. The Mississippi Black laws were meant to restrict the freedom African-Americans. These laws compelled the African-Americans to work in the economy by earning low wages, which was a form of slavery (Foner, p.96). Religious groups also hold different definitions on freedom. According to Foner, some religious groups feel they do not have the adequate freedom to advance their interests. Various religions view one another as enemies because of their beliefs concerning freedom. Many people also feel they do not have freedom because of their gender, whether male or

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