The texts provide a thorough explanation of the concepts of land and labor. It describes how the slaves were abused at first and the types of harassment they faced. When they had had enough of suffering, they decided to demand land ownership and advocate for economic independence, allowing them to handle their affairs on their own terms. The search for the slaves was complicated by the fact that they had all been ejected from the lands where they had either worked or squatted to make a living. They chose to remain, renters, because they lacked the financial resources to purchase land and needed to take care of their families basic necessities (Gray et al.,8). Because they were uneducated and labor contracts were difficult to dissolve, the slaves relied heavily on the Bureau officials to protect their interests.
Similarly, the newly released people desired to have functioning families. Slaves desired to be free of their masters’ extensive control over their families. The first aim was to reconnect separated families as a result of the wars. The majority of the released people traveled hundreds of miles in pursuit of their families. The majority of their family members had either died or been fully separated at that time; thus, it was a complicated streaking process (Gray et al., 11). In the region, there were mixed emotions as families that were reunited expressed delight and relief, while others were overcome by grief. Because of the distance and the time that had passed, some families could not easily identify their members. Therefore, it was the responsibility of the newly freed families to fend for themselves with the limited resources available.
Conclusively, land and labor ideas in ancient times were important for the slaves as they impacted their lives directly. Their quest for economic independence influenced the demand for land to work and settle on. Additionally, the slaves desired to reunite with their families from whom they were separated. Although it was difficult to trace each other, the few fortunate reunited with their families as the rest started new families.
Work cited
White, Deborah Gray, et al. FREEDOM ON MY MIND: A HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS, WITH DOCUMENTS. Macmillan Higher Education, 2020.