Freedom and SlaveryEssay title: Freedom and SlaveryWhat is freedom? Like many other concepts floating around us in this strange universe, freedom is relative to the observer. Many of us, not only, take for granted the freedoms which we have, but are also oblivious to those which we do not. To me freedom is simply being able and unrestricted in pursuing personal happiness by any means necessary, provided that the pursuit of personal happiness for any other individual is not prevented, hindered, or put in jeopardy in any way, except if by just cause, such as self defense, self preservation, self sacrifice, or (in some cases) vengeance. Unfortunately, justification of these scenarios is based strictly on individual perception, (relative to the observer) which varies greatly and can‘t be proven (100%) to anyone other than the perceiver him/her self. The Souths justification of slavery was a good example of these variations in perception, as Im sure many plantation owners would have argued that owning slaves was necessary to “self preservation” of their way of life. So, until we can be all telepathically linked to one another and have something along the lines of a collective perception of justice in order to properly judge if any case involving some kind of “interference” in ones pursuit of happiness was in fact justified, than no system of laws can effectively be put in place to protect against violations of freedom without restricting freedom as well, and my definition of freedom is just an illusion that can never be achieved but must always be strived for in order to preserve the freedoms we are allotted. Throughout this nations history, its economy, motivation, and way of life have been dependant on this illusion of freedom for all which we call “the American Dream,” but it has consistently and hypocritically limited the attainability of freedom at any level to only a select few.
Because freedom is based on perception, and ones perception is based on their own environment and experiences, its expected for there to be many different versions of freedom in a place whose inhabitants come from as many different backgrounds as there are in America. Even in the nations infancy, when the first settlers arrived, what was considered “free” varied from region to region, group to group, and person to person depending on their background, beliefs, and reasons for being there. To Europeans, freedom meant either to live a life “free” from sin (for those who came for religious reasons), being unrestricted in seeking property and economic security, or obedience to the law and authority figures, (Foner 30-32) which is why Englishmen considered natives, whos concept of freedom most closely resembled my own, “too free for there own good” and saw their way of life as threatening. To the Africans brought over as slaves, freedom meant resisting bondage by any means, and to be free from servitude. As one would expect this diversity of ideas often resulted in episodes of violence, betrayal, and dishonor based on greed, misunderstandings, and paranoia. But, of all the groups of people that were brought together in this “new world,” Africans were the only ones who were, not only, not here by choice, but also were allowed less freedom than anyone else.
When the first black slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619, the colonies economy was dependent mainly on tobacco which required a vast labor force to meet the newly formed demand for it in Europe.(Foner, 49-50) Before tobacco became the cash crop, their was no need to rely on slave labor, as the colony was originally set up to find gold (which there was none). Around the same time in Massachusetts, slaves were almost exclusively used as house servants, and considered a luxury only for those rich enough to afford them. The economy in the northern colonies was never dependent on slave labor, as they lacked any kind of an export with a strong demand and relied mainly on family farms for producing there own food, only exporting a small marketable amount of lumber, fish and surplus food.(Foner, 67)
By the eighteenth century, life for slaves in the colonies varied from place to place. In the Chesapeake region, where slavery more or less began, tobacco was still the leading export and the business continued to expand. By 1770 over 270,000 slaves populated the region. (Foner,115) With the growing slave population, the threat of an uprising made plantation owners uneasy and they began to tighten their grip on black freedoms, and began using race as an excuse for segregation more frequently. Even freed Blacks were losing there freedoms. Laws being passed in the region took there rights to vote, bear arms, or employ white servants. Virginia Law required them to pay special taxes, and eventually forced them to leave the colony upon being freed, making the colonies free black population virtually non-existent.
In Pennsylvania, the slave trade was taking a turn. Between 1760 and 1786, slaves were forcibly removed from their home states. These “tribal slave owners” made their way all over Pennsylvania, the Delaware, Delaware County, and Pennsylvania counties. After they were killed by Confederate soldiers, many of the freed slaves were brought back to their home states. The slave trade became much more widespread during those years. Many more were brought back and were moved over to the states where their slave-rights no longer existed. When it came time for the Governor’s Mansion to close, Governor Paine announced his intention to end the slave trade in Pennsylvania (a move that led to violent clashes between the Republican party and the Democrat party during the 1920s) and was a lasting change in the politics of Pennsylvania. The new governor’s Mansion on Pennsylvania Avenue in Philadelphia is one of the most exciting attractions in the city today. In addition to the “Tribal slave owners”, Governor Paine was also one of the founders of a group of law firms known as the Pennsylvania State Bar, which developed and operated the laws that enabled Pennsylvania to become the largest black state and provide for black people to be legally owned, protected, and educated. For example, in 1755, the Pennsylvania Railroad purchased all of Pennsylvania’s private passenger lines from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Pennsylvania State Bar was one of the first firms to be forced out of the state. During the Revolutionary War, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve was established under the direct leadership or direction of the state’s Governor and the Republican party became controlled by Republicans. The law firm had the most influence in the Pennsylvania State Bar and its name and business were based on the abolition of slavery or slavery in the state. Over the past few decades however, the law firm had been forced out because of the expansion of the nation’s economy. This led to a dramatic shift in Pennsylvania history. When President Clinton proposed to expand the nation’s rail network, the law firm became the first black organization to oppose the proposal (Hans’ Law). In 1948, two black law firms called the Pennsylvania Law Firm successfully argued before the US Supreme Court against expanding the railroad franchise. In the case of Pennsylvania Law Firm, the court ruled that the law firm was violating the freedom to hire and to refuse to hire people. This led to a state lawsuit that eventually resulted in the closing of the law firm to blacks. The Pennsylvania Union School District (PUSD) was also taken over by the Law Firm by the PUSD, where black students are taught that their parents and grandparents are racist or sexist. The Pennsylvania Law Firm became a symbol of the slave-owning state that is slowly moving into full control over black America. It was not uncommon for law firms in Philadelphia to use racist and sexist stereotypes. In 1885, the state legislature passed laws and ordinances allowing for slave ownership in the state. The same year also the law firm was forced out for being affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. These laws were signed by Governor Doonen in 1754, and they became the foundation upon which the Philadelphia Civil War was based. In Pennsylvania the Civil War ended in 1820 and became widely known as “Pittsburgh’s Civil War.” By the time of the war, all the members of the