The Limits of Freedom
The Limits of Freedom
Katt Carpenter
There have been many limits to people’s freedom since America was discovered. One that stands out to me the most is the limiting of a person’s freedom because they are a slave or an indentured servant. Both men and women held the positions of slaves or indentured servants, and they were not treated as one should be treated. There is a letter in Voices of Freedom in the text that is from Elizabeth Sprigs and it is addressed to her father bring forward many complaints she has gotten from the indentured servants. She points out to her father that; they don’t have much food, even corn is scarce. She also brings up the point that the indentured servants are provided with a means to have proper clothing. To quote Elizabeth Springs “almost naked no shoes nor stocking to wear. (Foner, 118)” You can tell from the way that she is writing this letter that she is upset by what she sees and hears, “Let it suffice that I am one of the unhappy number.” The last issue she brings up to her father in this letter is that, after a long day of work, when they want to rest, all they have to rest with is a blanket and the ground. Her final addressing to her father is that, “if you have any bowels of compassion left show it by sending me some relief.” She wanted him to send the things that these people needed to survive a day-to-day life, just the bare necessities. I feel that one of the biggest limits of a person’s freedom in this class would be the limited freedom of the slaves. Slaves worked hard day-by-day doing everything they were asked to do. They weren’t provided with decent living arrangements or proper clothing to keep them warm. They were considered almost the bottom of the totem pole so to speak, even though they did all the work for their owner. African American slaves had even fewer rights than white women. These slaves weren’t even considered to be a part of the society; they were lower than everyone else. They weren’t
Katt Carpenter
There have been many limits to people’s freedom since America was discovered. One that stands out to me the most is the limiting of a person’s freedom because they are a slave or an indentured servant. Both men and women held the positions of slaves or indentured servants, and they were not treated as one should be treated. There is a letter in Voices of Freedom in the text that is from Elizabeth Sprigs and it is addressed to her father bring forward many complaints she has gotten from the indentured servants. She points out to her father that; they don’t have much food, even corn is scarce. She also brings up the point that the indentured servants are provided with a means to have proper clothing. To quote Elizabeth Springs “almost naked no shoes nor stocking to wear. (Foner, 118)” You can tell from the way that she is writing this letter that she is upset by what she sees and hears, “Let it suffice that I am one of the unhappy number.” The last issue she brings up to her father in this letter is that, after a long day of work, when they want to rest, all they have to rest with is a blanket and the ground. Her final addressing to her father is that, “if you have any bowels of compassion left show it by sending me some relief.” She wanted him to send the things that these people needed to survive a day-to-day life, just the bare necessities. I feel that one of the biggest limits of a person’s freedom in this class would be the limited freedom of the slaves. Slaves worked hard day-by-day doing everything they were asked to do. They weren’t provided with decent living arrangements or proper clothing to keep them warm. They were considered almost the bottom of the totem pole so to speak, even though they did all the work for their owner. African American slaves had even fewer rights than white women. These slaves weren’t even considered to be a part of the society; they were lower than everyone else. They weren’t