The Evolving Concept of Freedom in American History and Society

This essay delves into the concept of freedom within American history, highlighting the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation and Abraham Lincoln's role in abolishing slavery. It compares and contrasts different perspectives on freedom, particularly in relation to Social Darwinism, civil rights for African Americans, and the challenges of maintaining national unity during the Civil War. The essay references historical documents and explores the impact of emigration on the American population, emphasizing the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar essays and study tools.

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY
American History
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Author Note

1AMERICAN HISTORY
 Concept of Freedom in American History
The concept of freedom has some important underpinnings in the history of America. One of
the biggest announcements in the American internal politics was the Emancipation Proclamation
that was made in the year 1863 (Lincoln and Hugo 2012). The documents that have been
provided for this paper discuss about the incident where the role of Abraham Lincoln was an
immense one. It has also been said the most important thing was that some of the slaves in the
country had got their freedom while they served the army. The freedom from slavery has been
considered as one of the most significant things in this context. After the Emancipation
Proclamation, the slaves in some of the rebellious states had been released completely (Lincoln
and Hugo 2012). They had been suffering under this evil for over two hundred years then and
they needed to be freed. The concept of slavery had been completely banished by the American
constitution during that time. It is believed by most people in the country that freedom is the
birth right and it should never be given away by the by anyone (Holzer and Lincoln 2012).
This concept of freedom has been compared in many aspects indeed. The concept of Social
Darwinism had been very evident once upon a time in the country. The American social picture
had been changed completely during the Civil War (Gordon 2017). The civil rights for the black
skinned people had become the centre of all the controversy indeed. The powerful speeches
regarding freedom of the African-American slaves had been focused mostly in this regard.
Abraham Lincoln had a special focus on this matter as he spoke about it with all the confederate
states. He had spoken about it in a peaceful manner.
 Comparison and contrast between concepts of ‘freedom’

2AMERICAN HISTORY
Lincoln had always wanted to maintain the national unity within the country. This would
be beneficial to unify the entire USA. Though he was against any kind of violence, he had
accepted this war as this would save the nation from being perished. It is a very common
notion that too much war will drag the nation backwards. This is why the population began to
move away (Reid 2014). Emigration seems to have a better influence on the increase in the
population of the United States of America. This is why the people of the country would
have to set their own bars to achieve the freedom properly. This would help them to identify
their problems and search for its way outs. Thus the Native Americans would surely be able
to break out from the restraints of captivity indeed The three documents that are provided in
order to compare the concept of freedom have shown a good deal of engagement with the
people. The main concern is about providing the best facilities to the people who live in the
country (Reid 2014). The contrast lies in the concept of the freedom that deals with the
Emancipation Proclamation and the emigration factor in the overpopulated country. The
factor of the private properties has also set a difference between the people in most countries
and ethnic people. This has outraged them many times indeed.

3AMERICAN HISTORY
References
Gordon, Robert J. 2017. The rise and fall of American growth: The US standard of living since
the civil war. Princeton University Press: pp. 27-62
Holzer, Harold. Lincoln: 2012 How Abraham Lincoln Ended Slavery in America. Newmarket
Press for ItBooks:
Lincoln, Abraham, and Hugo Sebald. 2012 The Emancipation Proclamation. Dreamscape
Media, LLC. Pp; 588-589
Reid, Brian Holden. 2014 The Origins of the American Civil War. Routledge, pp: 66-115

4AMERICAN HISTORY
References