Introduction
The history of the United States represents the mixing of various cultures and values shared by different peoples. This fact conditioned the necessity to formulate common values to unite all the population groups into one nation. Such values became liberty, freedom, and equality, but the process of their installation in a multinational society was complicated. Its development was uneven, and the ultimate freedom for various population groups was achieved in different periods of American history. Moreover, this process differed for white men, women, immigrants, African American people, and Native Americans, representing specific issues defining one or another group of people. Hence, the development of liberty, freedom, and equality in the United States should be considered through the lens of the diversity of nations, which comprise present-day American society.
Main body
Among the people inhabiting the continent since the beginning of the sixteenth century, white men were the most privileged population group. This fact defined an easier way of gaining freedom based on such values like equality and independence by them compared to women, African Americans, or American Indians. The first men who came to the new continent at the beginning of the seventeenth century were free by definition, as they had no other law than their own perceptions of right and wrong. As the very motivation of the first settlers was liberation from poverty and religious freedom, the new land became “the basis of liberty” for them (Foner, p.55). However, it was not only their primary asset but also the source of conflicts with native tribes.
The views of white men regarding religion and the needs of the society of that time provided the ground for injustice against other population groups. The ideas of freedom that they brought from their home countries were, in fact, limited to the necessity to “embrace teachings of Christ” (Foner, p.13). From this position, other population groups that did not share this perception represented a threat to their still precarious new world. Therefore, to ensure a solid basis for the future government, they strove for religious unity and fought with American Indians over their perceptions of spirituality.
The principal problem on the way to freedom for them was the difference between their views and those of Native Americans. The latter did not support the idea that land is a common resource (Foner, p. 10). Moreover, they set back the attempts of European settlers to convert their tribes to “a true, Christian faith” (Foner, p. 9). Thus, it is clear that white men could not bear the thought of having neighbors with barbaric gender relations and religious beliefs that did not fit in the Christian society. They were guided by an uncontrollable fear of people who differed from them and, therefore, posed a threat to their plans.
The reluctance of American Indians to adopt European values of freedom and liberty was conditional upon the fact that their own values were much stronger. They did not recognize the authority and laws that the settlers were trying to impose. Hence, native tribes already had absolute freedom and were born, lived, and died in liberty (Foner, p. 9). Nevertheless, this freedom was taken away from them with the help of such “fraudulent dealings” as, for example, the Walking Purchase of 1737, because of which white men received land (Foner, p. 117). Thus, the spreading of European values was not an act allowing them to reach freedom, liberty, and equality for everyone as they presented it.
Moreover, in further search of freedom for themselves, European settlers contributed to the development of slavery. One of the major population groups deprived of rights to freedom was African slaves, and the number of those who came with the first settlers was about 7.7 million (Foner, p. 2).
Therefore, injustices against them started from the beginning of American history and lasted throughout the centuries until the Civil War between the southern and northern states (Foner, p. 521). The Reconstruction that followed was a lengthy process accompanied by the struggles of African American citizens to find a place in the transformed society.
This period was one of the most critical in terms of redefining American freedom and liberty that was supposed to apply to all population groups of such a multinational country. It implied the provision of all citizens with such rights as access to education and religious services, which were a central part of the philosophy of the first European settlers, and freedom of movement (Foner, p. 112). These rights were complemented by the political participation of African American ex-slaves, and the right to vote signified their equality with white people.
Another population group deprived of rights to freedom and liberty was the first woman in the country. This was conditional upon the way they arrived on the new continent. Thus, for example, many of them were indentured servants that had to marry male settlers to found families (Foner, p. 14). However, even in the following years, when they officially became free, their rights were not observed. The land, which was precious for white men and indicated their liberty, was not given to women in full. After her husband’s death, a woman received only one-third of his property (Foner, p. 127). Hence, the precondition for the fight of feminists for their rights derives from the early years of the country.
The encouragement of emigration by the government in the eighteenth century also resulted in the emergence of problems regarding the rights of new citizens. Some of them were educated men who did not need to worry about their position in the new country, as their services were required. However, there were also poor laborers looking for better working conditions but found themselves working even harder than before without a chance to escape (Foner, p. 113). Although it was not recognized as such, it would be reasonable to characterize this situation as a form of slavery. Under these circumstances, one could not speak about freedom and liberty, as they did not apply to these people.
Conclusion
The process of the installation of such universal values as freedom, equality, and liberty in the United States was one of the most challenging tasks throughout the country’s history. This difficulty was explained by the varying statuses of different population groups, the clash of cultures, and the needs of the time, which did not correlate with mortality. Thus, white men had a more privileged position regarding the observance of their rights in comparison with women, African Americans, American Indians, and immigrant laborers. The acquisition of freedom and liberty by less privileged people was conditional upon the notions of inequality, slavery, religious conflicts, and other circumstances. However, the adoption of values by all people is an ongoing process, and the continual emergence of new situations in society might lead to the necessity to protect the rights of one or another population group.
Reference
Foner, E. (2017). Give me liberty!: An American history. W. W. Norton & Company.