Introduction
The terms “freedom” and “equality” have been repeatedly tested and reinterpreted throughout American history. The meanings changed with time, from the first colonial settlements to the precipice of the Civil War. Freedom went through a period of profound change between 1492 and 1860. Beginning in the early colonies and continuing through the revolutionary ideals of the American Revolution and the fight for abolition in the antebellum era, as well as the expansion of territorial control, the concepts underwent significant transformations from 1492 to 1860. These varying meanings of freedom throughout time are indicative of the struggles for a more inclusive and equal society that has created the United States.
Colonial Era (1492-1776)
In the early colonial age, freedom meant different things to different people. Freedom of religion was central to the European invaders’ concept of personal autonomy. Settlers fled religious persecution in Europe and founded the colonies so they could live according to their own beliefs without fear of reprisal. Dissenting voices were occasionally silenced, although minorities like the Puritans in Massachusetts and the Quakers in Pennsylvania enjoyed the mentioned allowance more than others (Tindall & Shi, 2013). The conquerors’ conception of freedom was nuanced and contentious, as shown by the fact that it was often linked to the oppression and relocation of indigenous communities.
The early American colonies were shaped in large part by their commitment to devout liberty. The Pilgrims and the Puritans were two such groups who fled religious persecution in order to establish new communities based on their shared beliefs. In an effort to protect their freedom, these groups eventually coalesced into autonomous societies (Pyle & Davidson, 2003). As demonstrated in Rhode Island’s construction of a government that allowed ‘spiritual diversity’ to everyone, the colonies’ devotion also affected the development of ideals like separation of church and state.
Despite their stated goal of providing freedom in the context given, many colonial administrations actually restricted this fundamental human right. Appointed governors or proprietors had extensive authority in the colonies because of the royal charters or proprietary regimes under which they operated. In order to ensure order and economic stability, these governing bodies can limit the rights of expression, assembly, and commerce (Tindall & Shi, 2013). Therefore, there was friction between colonists’ ideals of individual liberty and the constraints of colonial government.
The philosophical and intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment changed the way people thought about freedom throughout the period of colonial rule in Europe. Natural rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, were highlighted by Enlightenment theorists like John Locke (Tindall & Shi, 2013). The American colonists were affected by these concepts, which gave them a rationale for doubting the legality of restrictive measures and challenging the authority of colonial governments.
The concept of “equality” changed little throughout the Colonial Era. Although the early colonies actively pursued religious freedom, equality was largely conceived in relation to certain religious communities. Tolerance of many faiths was encouraged and practiced to some degree in certain places, such as Pennsylvania (Tindall & Shi, 2013). However, this equality seldom included people who did not share the prevailing religious views of the colony. Slavery also contributed to this inequity by depriving people in many colonies of their most fundamental liberties and rights as human beings.
American Revolution and Early Republic (1776-1800)
The founding of a free government and independence from British domination inspired the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were two revolutionary leaders who fought for the rights of the individual. By rejecting monarchical authority in favor of popular democracy, the colonists hoped to alter this perception. The framing of the battle as a struggle for independence spurred the colonists’ hostility to and ultimate overthrow of British control.
The Declaration of Independence, which recognized the inherent dignity of every person, was ratified by the United States Congress on July 4, 1776. In the Constitution, it is stated that “all men are created equal” and that they have “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Karst, 1975). The Declaration of Independence elevated the notion of inherent rights as the cornerstone of freedom by laying the groundwork for the idea that political authority derives from the consent of the governed. The new republic couldn’t have been founded without this paradigm change about individual rights.
Freedom and citizen engagement in governance both flourished after the American Revolution. More individuals became politically active with the establishment of new state governments and the drafting of written constitutions. While this century saw the emergence of participatory democratic systems, the benefits of these changes mostly benefited white male property owners. As more people got active in influencing municipal policy, a sense of civic liberation emerged.
Slavery continued despite widespread condemnation and conflicting opinions. Several states kept slavery even while they fought for independence, and this was immediately exposed as hypocrisy. Despite its good intentions, the movement violated the most fundamental rights of millions of slaves (Spring, 2021). Slavery hampered the progress toward the utopian ideal of global freedom and created challenges for the free people of the United States.
Significant transformations in the concept of equality occurred throughout the period. The Declaration of Independence, a major document of Revolutionary principles, popularized the notion that human beings have an inherent right to equality. This idea that “all men are created equal” shook the old order and set the stage for the quest for equality in the new country was revolutionary (Tindall & Shi, 2013). This time was not the complete realization of these ideas, however, since equality was still restricted to white male property owners and did not include women, slaves, or Native Americans.
Antebellum Era and the Fight for Abolition (1800-1860)
Slavery was a source of increasing conflict between Northern and Southern states in the United States throughout the antebellum era. As the North embraced the ideas of industrialization, urbanization, and a more diverse economic foundation, slavery’s prevalence dwindled. However, slavery was fundamental to the success of the Southern agricultural plantation system. This fundamental difference in opinion on slavery deepened the chasm between the regions and prepared the stage for a battle over the meaning of freedom.
During the antebellum era, the abolitionist movement grew in strength, ultimately leading to the end of slavery. Slavery was considered evil by abolitionists because it violated fundamental human rights, including liberty and fair treatment. Famous people like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison emerged as leaders in the fight to end slavery (Boster, 2013). They contended that true liberty could not be achieved until slavery was abolished and everyone’s basic rights were recognized.
Slave narratives were weapons in the struggle to end slavery and redefine freedom. Former slaves such as Harriet Jacobs and Solomon Northup offered first-hand accounts of the horrors of slavery via their accounts of bondage, escape, and resistance. These narratives humanized the enslaved and exposed the gap between the nation’s ideals of freedom and its actual practice of slavery. These narratives fueled popular opposition to slavery by focusing on people’s yearning for freedom.
Northern and Southern states had starkly different liberties and values throughout the antebellum era. Abolitionist fervor and fast industrialization in the North gave rise to a broader conception of what it meant to be free. However, the South saw any effort to restrict their freedom to own and rule slaves as an existential threat to their economy and way of life. Tensions had been building for a while, but the Civil War was sparked in part by divergent ideas of what freedom entails.
The antebellum period significantly contributed to the development of progressive ideas of individual freedom in the United States. The ambiguities of slavery were brought to light by the wars between the Northern and Southern republics. Central to the abolitionist movement was the struggle to end slavery and broaden the definition of freedom to include the rights of all people (Boster, 2013). Slave narratives were eye-opening stories of the struggle for freedom. The fate of slavery and the future of freedom in the United States were ultimately resolved in the deadly battle known as the Civil War, which erupted over contrasting ideas of liberty in the North and South.
Questions concerning what freedom meant in the context of newly acquired territories arose alongside the battle for abolition throughout the antebellum period as the United States expanded its geographical power. The expansion of slavery presented difficulties with the purchase of large territories like the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican Cession. Intense disputes about the meaning of freedom were sparked by the question of whether or not slavery would be legal in these new regions (Tindall & Shi, 2013).
The right to own slaves, proponents of slavery maintained, was a constitutionally protected liberty that the federal government had no business interfering with. They saw efforts to limit slavery’s growth as an infringement on private property and individual liberties. Slavery’s detractors, on the other hand, regarded the practice’s expansion as an assault on basic liberties and rights. Slavery was seen as a systemic injustice that would stunt the development of free labor and was thus opposed in these regions.
There were major discussions and shifts in perspective on what it meant to be equal throughout the campaign to end slavery in the Antebellum Era. The abolitionist movement fought against slavery by highlighting the concept of racial equality (Spring, 2021). The proponents claimed that slavery was unequal because it deprived people of their freedom and fundamental rights. The struggle for emancipation highlighted the problem of equality, highlighting the gap between the nation’s aspirations and the brutal reality of slavery. Although other oppressed groups, such as women and Native Americans, continued to confront enormous challenges to gaining equality, it is vital to highlight that the battle for equality during this time predominantly centered on the rights of African Americans.
Conclusion
Freedom has been redefined several times throughout American history. The concept of freedom has developed throughout time, from the early colonies’ quest for religious freedom to the revolutionary battle for independence and the fight against slavery. Colonial-era shifts in understanding freedom revealed the constraints imposed by colonial rulers even as they embraced Enlightenment principles.
While the American Revolution and the Early Republic firmly established the idea of natural rights and widened political participation, the antebellum period saw a severe collision between Northern and Southern conceptions of freedom. The campaign for abolition put the institution of slavery on trial and reframed the ideal of individual liberty. The nation’s dedication to freedom was put to the test once again by the increase in territory under government control.
References
Boster, D. H. (2013). African American slavery and disability: Bodies, property, and power in the Antebellum South, 1800-1860. Routledge.
Karst, K. L. (1975). Equality as a central principle in the First Amendment. The University of Chicago Law Review, 43(1), 20. Web.
Pyle, R. E., & Davidson, J. D. (2003). The origins of religious stratification in Colonial America. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42(1), 57–75. Web.
Spring, J. (2021). Deculturalization and the struggle for equality: A brief history of the education of dominated cultures in the United States. Routledge.
Tindall, G. B., & Shi, D. E. (2013). America: A narrative history (9th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.