The History of American Freedom Essay - 1331 Words

The American Ideological Consensus is that â€Å"†¦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†¦show more content†¦The people who immigrated to America in the 1800’s and 1900’s came because â€Å"In the United States, individuals craft their own definition of success† (Friedman). Immigrants were given the opportunity to succeed, something they probably never had back home. Here immigrants were given free education, welfare, and healthcare, freedoms only given in America at the time. This freedom to succeed has given many people rags- to- riches stories. â€Å"Americans respect the self- made man or women, especially when he or she has overcome great obstacles to succeed† (Friedman), especially because immigrants who came from nothing were able to utilize their freedoms in order to make something for themselves. Even though freedom has been our nation’s identity for its entire existence, our nation has suffered â€Å"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: There may be humane masters, as there certainly are inhuman ones - there may be slaves well-clothed, well-fed, and happy, as there surely are those half-clad, half-starved and miserable; nevertheless, the institution that tolerates such wrong and inhumanity as I have witnessed, is a cruel, unjust, and barbarous one. (127) ThisShow MoreRelatedHistory: Slavery and American Freedom1104 Words   |  5 PagesSummary I American Slavery, American Freedom written by Edmund S. Morgan captures the history of Virginia while keeping focusing on the social and political elements that uplifted the way of slavery. With the focus on Virginia, the book also probes the central paradox of American history: how a people could have developed the dedication to human liberty and dignity exhibited by the leaders of the American Revolution and at the same time have developed and maintained a system of labor that deniedRead MoreFreedom And African American History Essay1680 Words   |  7 PagesFreedom And African American History 1 XIN LI 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 educationRead MoreAmerican History: Fighting for the Freedom of Choice763 Words   |  3 Pagesover a thousand of those women died each year as a result. It wasn’t until the civil rights and antiwar movements in the 1960’s that women began to fight more actively for their rights. One of these rights was the freedom to do as they wish with their bodies. By fighting for the freedom of choice, women were also fighting for a safe medical procedure that would abort their pregnancy with a lower death rate. Then, On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, stated that the ``right of privacy institutedRead MoreThe War Of The United States1412 Words   |  6 Pagesfor a period of four years, was among the worst events ever to occur in American history. The casualties marked by far, the bloodiest in America’s involvement in wars at six-hundred twenty-thousand military soldiers dead. To this day, it is known as one of the most memorable wars in our history. But is that why this war is so well remembered? The strikings of terror and death hold a heavy grip throughout the course of history worldwide, and in fact is one of the key elements that make drama, mysteryRead MoreWhy Did Jefferson Argue That Religious Freedom Is Needed?893 Words   |  4 Pagesreligious freedom is needed? The Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom is an announcement composed by Thomas Jefferson and went by the Virginia General Assembly on January 16, 1786. Jefferson believed in religious freedom and exerted himself to separate state and church. He argued that religious freedom was more than needed in America, a nation of immigrants. Thomas Jefferson succeeded in overcoming problems like religious discrimination. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom is a resultRead MoreThe Freedom Of Struggles By Adriane Lentz Smith1250 Words   |  5 PagesLentz-Smith wrote the book called the Freedom of Struggles, Who is an associate Professor of History at Duke University. Adriane had studied history and African American studies. She was successful in everything Adriane did, she had many goals to achieve. One of the goals were to get across one point about how war world 1 and African Americans goes to Europe with American expeditionary forces in World War 1. How the story was a critical movement in the book â€Å"freedom of struggles†. Adriane was an aggressiveRead MoreEssay on African American History in America1064 Words   |  5 PagesSlavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that â€Å"the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas† (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since.Read MoreEssay Freedom: America’s Biggest Lie1437 Words   |  6 PagesFreedom: America’s Biggest Lie The bells of liberty and freedom have become symbols that characterize the patriotic nature of America. Our precious country was founded on these universal principles that have become â€Å"unalienable rights† of our Constitution. Freedom is more than the ability to express oneself – it is a manifestation of individualism, creative thought, and the inborn desire to think freely and innovate. While Americans cherish their fundamental right to freedom, the definition of freedomRead MoreEssay on The First Amendment556 Words   |  3 Pages America was built on freedom. Freedom to speak, freedom to choose, freedom to worship, and freedom to do just about anything you want within the law. America’s law was designed to protect and preserve these freedoms. The reason the United States of America came to exist was because the colonists fled Great Britain to get back the freedoms that were taken away from them by the Monarchy. In countries where Monarchies and Dictatorships rule, there is little if any freedom to speak of. Citizens ofRead MoreWhat Was Freedom For African Americans?961 Words   |  4 PagesAfrican 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, â€Å"what was freedom for African Americans?† (Give me liberty! An American 550) From 1865 to 1900 African Americans, despite being presumed free; blacks quickly realized they were only free from was the whippings, break-ups from their families, and sexual exploitation. (Experience History 457)