Give Me Liberty!: Volume 1

The authors describe the events of January 12, 1865, in Savannah, Georgia, shortly after its capture by Union forces, when General William T. Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton met with 20 Black community leaders, mainly Baptist and Methodist ministers. Among them were future Reconstruction leaders like Ulysses S. Houston and James D. Lynch. The group discussed their views on freedom and what it entailed—defining it as the ability to benefit from one’s own labor and emphasizing the importance of land ownership as a means to achieve economic independence and sustain freedom.

The authors detail how Garrison Frazier, acting as the group’s spokesperson, articulated that enslavement was the forceful extraction of one’s labor without consent, and freedom was the opportunity to manage one’s own work and benefit from it. He stressed that with land to cultivate, Black individuals could support themselves and enjoy equal protection under the law.

This meeting anticipated significant changes that would unfold during the Reconstruction era, a time focused on redefining American freedom and expanding citizenship rights to include Black Americans. This period saw the rewriting of laws and the Constitution to recognize African Americans as citizens and ensure their equality before the law. The right to vote was extended to Black men, leading to an era of interracial democracy in the South, and the growth of Black institutions which laid the groundwork for the modern African American community.

These developments, however, were nascent in January 1865. Sherman responded to the meeting by issuing Special Field Order 15, which allocated land along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts to Black families in 40-acre segments, along with offering them surplus army mules, thus originating the term “forty acres and a mule” (1202). By June, around 40,000 emancipated persons had settled on this land, fostering hopes among those emancipated from slavery that freedom would bring not just legal, but also economic independence.

The Meaning of Freedom

In the post-Civil War era, the authors argue defining freedom became central to national discourse. The Evolving Concept of American Freedom was interrogated by figures like Congressman James A. Garfield, who questioned whether freedom was merely the absence of enslavement or something more expansive including rights like property ownership and voting.

This debate shaped The Impact of Social Movements and Political Conflicts on Liberty, influencing new social relations and redefining the rights of American citizenship. For African Americans, freedom meant shedding the brutal injustices of enslavement and participating equally in society. The era spotlighted The Significance of Diverse Groups in America as African Americans pursued education, property, and political rights—fundamental aspects of freedom previously denied to them.

The Making of Radical Reconstruction

President Andrew Johnson’s approach to Reconstruction was marked by a lenient stance toward the South, focusing on quick restoration with minimal safeguards for newly emancipated individuals. His policies failed to protect African Americans from the restrictive Black Codes, sparking a backlash from Radical Republicans who challenged these policies, another example of The Impact of Social Movements and Political Conflicts on Liberty. This group, led by figures like Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, advocated for stringent measures to reshape the South, emphasizing equal rights and federal intervention as crucial aspects of the concept of freedom.

The Civil Rights Bill of 1866 and the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution were landmark responses to the failures of Johnson’s Reconstruction, aiming to secure equal civil rights for emancipated persons and to establish broader definitions of citizenship and liberty.

Radical Reconstruction in the South

The enactment of the Reconstruction Act of 1867 spurred a surge of political engagement among African Americans, who formed assemblies and leveraged new rights to challenge longstanding racial injustices. Despite significant barriers, African Americans made historic electoral gains, although the highest political offices remained predominantly in white hands.

Southern Reconstruction governments advanced significant reforms, including the establishment of the first state-funded public schools and civil rights laws, which marked substantial progress toward racial equality and reshaped the southern political and social landscape.

The Overthrow of Reconstruction

Opposition from southern traditional elites, who viewed Reconstruction governments as corrupt and an affront to white supremacy, combined with widespread violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan, signaled a severe backlash. The North’s waning resolve, influenced by economic concerns and growing racism, led to a retreat from Reconstruction commitments.

The contentious 1876 election and the ensuing Bargain of 1877 effectively ended federal efforts to enforce Reconstruction, marking a return to white-dominated governance in the South and leaving African Americans to face renewed racial oppression without significant federal protection. The authors’ argument is that this period closed a significant chapter in American history, setting the stage for future civil rights struggles, which the authors view as central to the ongoing contestation of the meaning and realities of equality and justice.