Assignment 1 AMH2020
Assignment #1
Sarah L. Ribeiro
AMH2020
September 11, 2014
During reconstruction, the meaning of freedom suited many different types of interpretation; the perception of freedom between former slaves and their slaves masters were very contradictory. To begin with, African-Americans had suffered severe abuse over those years of slavery, so to them, the meaning of freedom was basically a hope that in the future, they won’t experience all kind of punishment and exploration that they have been experienced so far. Besides that, formers slaves were demanding equal civil and political rights. In the same way, they valued their freedom by establishing their own schools and churches, reuniting families that were separated under slavery and seeking financial dependence. Foner (2014) supports the same argument: “Blacks relished the opportunity to demonstrate their liberation from the regulation, significant and trivial, associated with slavery. They openly held mass meeting and religious services free of white supervision” (p. 557) . In addition, Foner (1014) also found “Former slaves’ ideas of freedom, like those of rural people throughout the world, were directly related to landownership” (p. 560) . On other hand, their slaves masters’ perception of freedom was different. For example, most Southerners reacted the emancipation with dismay, according to Foner (2014) , Southern leaders didn’t want to accept reality “Freedom still meant hierarchy and mastery; it was a privilege not a right, a carefully defined legal status rather than an open-ended entitlement” (p. 561) . As the oppression to African-Americans continued, congress created three bills in order to improve Africans-Americans’ conditions; they were the enforcement Acts. Foner (2014) explains: “ Congress adopted three Enforcement Acts, outlawing terrorist societies and allowing the president to use the army against them” (p. 585) . Additionally, this act provided to the former slaves the
Sarah L. Ribeiro
AMH2020
September 11, 2014
During reconstruction, the meaning of freedom suited many different types of interpretation; the perception of freedom between former slaves and their slaves masters were very contradictory. To begin with, African-Americans had suffered severe abuse over those years of slavery, so to them, the meaning of freedom was basically a hope that in the future, they won’t experience all kind of punishment and exploration that they have been experienced so far. Besides that, formers slaves were demanding equal civil and political rights. In the same way, they valued their freedom by establishing their own schools and churches, reuniting families that were separated under slavery and seeking financial dependence. Foner (2014) supports the same argument: “Blacks relished the opportunity to demonstrate their liberation from the regulation, significant and trivial, associated with slavery. They openly held mass meeting and religious services free of white supervision” (p. 557) . In addition, Foner (1014) also found “Former slaves’ ideas of freedom, like those of rural people throughout the world, were directly related to landownership” (p. 560) . On other hand, their slaves masters’ perception of freedom was different. For example, most Southerners reacted the emancipation with dismay, according to Foner (2014) , Southern leaders didn’t want to accept reality “Freedom still meant hierarchy and mastery; it was a privilege not a right, a carefully defined legal status rather than an open-ended entitlement” (p. 561) . As the oppression to African-Americans continued, congress created three bills in order to improve Africans-Americans’ conditions; they were the enforcement Acts. Foner (2014) explains: “ Congress adopted three Enforcement Acts, outlawing terrorist societies and allowing the president to use the army against them” (p. 585) . Additionally, this act provided to the former slaves the
Cited: Foner, E. (2014). "What is freedom?": Reconstruction. In Give me liberty!: An American history (Seagull 4th ed., Vol. 2). New York: W. W. Norton &.