Voice of Freedom In chapter 15 it deals a lot with resistance to slavery and of course one of these was the best known of all slave rebellions which involved was Nat Turner, who happened to be a slave preacher. This chapter was also devoted in describing the conspiracies that went into the uprisings and the rebellions that actually changed the face of slavery. This chapter gave a very vivid detail in exploring what went on behind the scenes in regards to these revolts coming together. With that said, this essay will explore this chapter and talk about the significance of the voice of freedom.

After the Civil War, the definitions of freedom surely changed for nation, for the freedmen, and for southern whites in a lot of ways. Southern white were fearful. It was apparent that they never wanted slavery to end because it had a huge effect on their business. The definitions of freedom for southern whites were a nightmare because than that led them to think that black would want to become more like them. The discussion after the Civil War was over showed that the black leaders brought out of slavery: .- a perfect definition of freedom. When asked what he assumed by slavery, Garrison Frazier, who was a Baptist minister picked as the group's presenter, answered that it meant one person's "receiving by irresistible power the work of another man, and not by his consent."[footnoteRef:1] Freedom they defined as "putting us where we could reap the fruit of our own labor, and plus be able to just take care of ourselves."[footnoteRef:2] The way to have this achieve this was "to have land, and then do everything by our own labor." Frazier insisted that blacks controlled "sufficient intelligence" to uphold themselves in freedom and then to be able to appreciate the equal protection of the laws[footnoteRef:3]. [1: Foner, Eric. "Give Me Liberty!: An American History." 1-584. New York City W.W. Norton & Company; Seagull Third Edition, 2009] [2: Foner, pg. 511] [3: Foner, pg. 523]

As far as how it changed the nation, this chapter showed how Sherman's meeting with the black leaders predicted some of the far-reaching modifications that would occur throughout the era recognized as Reconstruction (meaning, exactly, the transformation of the devastated country). It changed the nation because in the years coming after the Civil War, prior slaves and their white allies, North and South, would pursue to redefine the boundaries and meaning of American freedom. Beforehand a privilege of whites, freedom would be long-drawn-out to comprise black Americans. The constitution and the laws would be rewritten to make sure those African-Americans, for the first time in the country's history, acknowledgment as citizens and equivalence before the law.

Things would change because now black men would also be given the right to vote, bringing in a retro of interracial democracy during the course of the South. Places such as the black schools, churches, and other establishments would start flourishing, establishing the basis for the modem African-American community. Numerous of the loans of Reconstruction would then start proving provisional, swept away throughout a movement of violence that would occur in the South and the North's departure from the ideal of equivalence[footnoteRef:4]. Nonetheless Reconstruction placed the basis for future fights to spread autonomy to all Americans. [4: Foner, Eric. "Give Me Liberty!: An American History." 1-584. New York City W.W. Norton & Company; Seagull Third Edition, 2009]

Identifying and explaining the key elements of freedom according to the former slaves proved to be insightful in Chapter 15. For example, former slave Frederick Douglass education is the key to freedom. Douglass detailed the inspiration to, and recompenses of his achievement. By reading chapter 15, it becomes apparent that he clearly understood the extent of the unfairness of slavery. He felt more disadvantaged, and angrier than before. He valued freedom very much and made the point if there is no struggle than there is no progress. Douglass's element of freedom was by educating the people in displaying the horrors of slavery and the harsh treatments. He made it his mission to exhibit how white slaveholders extend slavery...

They had the belief that blacks were integrally powerless of contributing in civil society and therefore would need to be kept as workers for whites. Douglas in regards to his elements of freedom was able to explain the approaches and events by which whites gain and keep power over blacks from their birth forward. [5: de, la Fuente. "From slaves to citizens? Tannenbaum and the debates on slavery, emancipation, and race relations in Latin America." International Labor and Working Class History 77, no. 1 (2010): 154-173]
Reconstruction did actually redraw the boundaries of American freedom. However, these boundaries did expand for some citizens but remained closed or constrained for others. For some blacks the boundaries did expand simply for the fact they were no longer in chains. Blacks were able to relish the chance to validate their freedom from the rules, significant and 'trivial, which were related with slavery. The reconstruction expanded their boundaries because now they were able to openly hold mass meetings and religious services that would be completely free of white supervision, and they were able to get their hands on acquired dogs, guns, and liquor, all of which was prohibited to them under the laws of slavery. Now during the reconstruction period, they no longer had to have to get certain passes from their owners to travel, former slaves during the course of the South left the estates in search of better jobs, family members, or merely a taste of personal freedom.

However, there were also some restrictions during the reconstruction period. Some of these restrictions were the fact that they had to deal with the racism. Even though the slavery over, the mental aspect of had juts began. Reconstruction proved to be a time of great restriction because there were limited places where blacks could go particularly in the south. There were even some jobs that refused to hire blacks or even provide them some service. It restricted them because they were not able to get the same education that the whites had. Because they were denied those opportunities, blacks had to build their own schools.[footnoteRef:6] The Jim Crow laws are another thing that brought on some restrictions for the citizens. These laws made it impossible for blacks to mingle together or be in the same places and looked at as being equals. These laws were what was called separate but equal. [6: Chambers, Glenn A. "From slavery to servitude: The African and Asian struggle for freedom in Latin America and the Caribbean." History 21, no. 9 (2008): 23-45]

Section Two: General Questions

Who wrote it? When? Why?

This chapter was written by various authors and the point of this chapter was to basically point out the resistance that was taken place among slaves that lived in the south. All of the information clearly points to the time before the end of the Civil War. It was written in order to inform how slaves during that time were basically tired of the mistreatment and was ready to actually do something about it. It was also written to inform that numerous black slave rebellions and insurrections took place in North America throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. This chapter shows the documentary proof of more than 250 rebellions or attempted rebellions that have something to do with ten or more slaves.[footnoteRef:7] However, the chapter does a very good job in describing three of the best recognized in the United States throughout the 19th century which are the uprisings done by Gabriel Prosser which took place in Virginia sometime in 1800s, Denmark Vesey that led a rebellion in South Carolina during the year of 1822, and Nat Turner who also had a big uprising that happened in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831.[footnoteRef:8] [7: Lepore, Jill. "New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan." 1-352. New York: Vintage; First Edition, 2009] [8: Chamber, pg.45]

What is Author Main Point?

The main point that the author wanted to show is the lives of slaves during and after the civil war. He wanted to show and give a through look at what it was like during the times of intense pressure. The author also wanted to stress how important freedom was to the slaves. He wanted to point out how desperate they were pursuing that dream. He displayed this by having the sections that talked about how the slaves would put together revolts and uprisings. The author wanted to stress how these rebellions were put together and also the price they knew they would have to pay after it. Basically, he wanted to display how being freedom was gotten at a very high-price and how they had to endure the hard times of keeping it.

How is this reading relevant to the material covered?

The reading…