The Voice of Freedom

The history of America revolves around the emancipation of the masses, given that for a long time, the country was the hub of discrimination and other vices that infringed into the rights of the people, majorly the women (Corbett et al. 72). There was also discrimination of people of color who were considered to be lesser beings. Slave trade took the lead in the economic sector where people were shipped from poor areas to offer cheap labor in the industries and the vast pieces of land in the nation. This paper will address the voice of freedom, which is a cry of the masses towards the restoration of their civil rights. The success of the movement called ‘Voice of Freedom’ became successful after staging demonstrations in the fifties and sixties in the United States. The blacks were at the center of the movement’s motive to restore emancipation. This paper will discuss the happenings in the book, and will be organized in the form of a conversation and analysis of the historical happenings.

Discussion

William: I come from Pennsylvania, which is among the most religious spots in the      United States. I bet all of you are wondering what led to the spiritual dominance.

Mary: Well, that might be because of missionary settlement in the area during the colonial period.

Alexander: Not really, the area happens to be the last establishment of the English colonizers in the 17th

century, and the founder was William Penn, a staunch member of the Quakers movement.

William: Correct. The aim of the establishment was to create a haven of peace for the individuals who were experiencing persecution due to their religious stand in Europe at the time. Therefore, Penn saw it fit for them to settle at the colony where they would be free from the maltreatment, hence restore their spiritual Freedom.

Alexander: What do you mean by Quakers, do they subscribe to the same ideals as Muslims or Hindus? Or are they a cult?

Tom: No, far from the cultic notion Alexander. The Quakers are more of Christians who believe that God’s spirit exists within every person, and that the inner light guides in spiritual matters. During the 17th century and prior centuries, the Quakers did not hold the teachings of the clergy with high regard that they did with the spirit of God which they considered to be an inner feeling that was difficult to express.

William: The rigid mind of the Quakers in matters of religion made them to resist any attempts by the government, which at the time was made of colonizers, to enforce any different form of religious worship.

Roger: After the establishment of the Quaker’s movement in the area, and after the people had restored their religious freedom, Penn formed a government. However, after a period of approximately 3 years, the system failed to work, and a Charter of Liberties, which worked like a political system replaced the former. The new system of governance was in operation until the beginning of the American Revolution.

Alexander: I may have read that the Charter of Liberties acknowledged the political stand of Penn, and even preserved his slogan of religious toleration. However, there were limited slots of leadership for Christians, and instead, priority was given to colonialists who were promised that they would have the same powers as England’s free-born subjects.

William: You are right. However, the system of governance at the time used religion as a trap. They convinced the masses that all believers of Jesus Christ would get positions of leadership both in the executive and legislature arms of the government.

Judith: The idea of freedom in America was destroyed by the colonialists who were majorly Britons that had an obsession of acquiring the status like that of the Free-born English person (Tosh and John123) The concept of liberty is what led to the infringement of the Englishman in America, to an extent that the locals had no control over the system of governance.

Roger: That’s right. In addition to that, the issue of inequality took shape, such that there was gender equality and the women felt discriminated against. The society took a patriarchal shape, and the positions of leadership were left to the men while the women were subjected to duties that were considered lighter. The latter were made to stay at home and play the role of homemakers.

Alexander: It is surprising how times have changed in the current world where women have the power to speak and be heard. I wonder what might have turned things around.

William: The Voice of Freedom movement should take the credit for ending the discrimination of women (Rodenburg and Patsy 47). The campaign that addressed the equality of sexes saw women get an opportunity to participate in elections within New Jersey, listen to orations and contribute in political discussions during the Revolution Era.

Analysis

The sections in which the book is divided describe the events leading to the complete freedom of all facets of America, starting from the emancipation of women, to the exit of the colonizers. Each section of the book addresses the thirty-year periods which include the boycott that took a year between 1955 and 1956, and the major riots famously known as Detroit riots which happened in 1968. The brutal experiences people went through at the time and the courage they staged to overcome the happenings are also assessed in the text. The involvement of civil rights leaders for example Malcom X, Martin Luther King, and the Black Panthers is also discussed (Spring and Roger 87). The Freedom Rides generated the hostility where simple happenings that did not warrant death such as a black person seated at the front of a bus led to the person getting killed.

Voice of Freedom sheds light into the key historical points of American history, for example the role African Americans played in America, after having spent years in Africa fighting for freedom from the colonizers. The level of resilience of the African America is depicted in the fight for freedom in America considering that the blacks were also facing discrimination from the whites they met in America. They were also serving as slaves, yet they played a significant role in the restoration of independence. The text depicts the African-American individual as a selfless person who is driven by purpose and the end result which is freedom and peace.

The second class status accorded the African- Americans was reason enough for them to fight for freedom, both for their current country and among themselves (Corbett et al. 65). They were not ready to be branded as second class citizens hence the motivation to fight for their rights as the citizens of America. The situation was escalated by the discrimination women were facing in regards to gender inequality.  Judith, who was among the most accomplished women in America at the time assisted in the fight against the discrimination of women through contributing to journals and magazines in Massachusetts. She also wrote poetry and books that were geared towards encouraging women empowerment, considering that she was denied the chance to go to school given that she was a woman. She later studied with her brother who was being assisted by a tutor to join Harvard University, which means she would have missed the chance to study were it not for the opportunity. Her most famous essay that properly addressed the plight of the women was, ‘On the Equality of the Sexes.’

Through her essay the accomplished woman made emphasis that women possessed the same rights as their male counterparts and therefore it was fair to accord them the deserved rights. She described men as humans with similar talents if not better than men and that they required the chance to equal opportunities where they could leverage their skills and showcase their talents (Thompson and Paul 304). She demanded for the equality of women and even trashed the common notion that the happiness of women was founded on their responsibility of participating in family duties.

Apart from the issue of women being regarded as beings of lesser ability, there was still the issue of the role liberty played in the empowerment of England role in America at the time. The invaders from England defended the concept if liberty to a large extent such that they enjoyed the personal happiness and national prosperity like they belonged to a free state (Freeman and Evelyn 56). The condition turned into something similar to a limited monarch where the freedom of the Englishman of religion and speech were protected. However, the subjects lived in a sorry state. The colonialists were operating on the belief that they belonged to the freest political system of governance in the history of humankind, and were therefore at liberty to impose any rules and run the system as they wished.

The condition in America at the time was that the individuals subscribing to the limited monarchial system were enjoying better treatment than the subjects that were subjected to absolute monarchy. One would consider the former system to the latter. However, the limited monarchy was linked to liberty which accorded the Englishman a path to enjoyment. The colonialists had the privilege of a refined life, and the highest gratification was regarded as delightful, which triggered a revolt against the rule by the British. Around the same time Indians were also revolting against the British rule for the purpose of restoring their lost freedom. When the fight against the British escalated to a point where the Indians managed to kill the white settlers that had grabbed their land, the Americans were motivated to fight off with the Britons. The Indians by that time had succeeded in seizing the British forts established in their country which led to more desire for an uprising against the British.

During the period of Revolution, the foreigners commended the country for being a society that accorded its citizens the opportunity to enjoy opportunities that are unknown in the Old World sense. The country was also acknowledged as an independent nation. The fight for civil rights led to the emergence of America in the form of a new man (Freeman and Evelyn 272). The discussion is that America originated from a variety of tribes and communities from Europe that settled in America and became part of the movement that joined in arms against the British Rule. The American as a new man refers to the descendants from Europe which led to the mix of blood which in the nation, a trait that is absent in other nations. The scenario is where people from the different nations leave their manners and prejudices in the mother countries, and acquire new ones due to the new life pattern in the host country, and in this context the United States.

The civil war worked to the advantage of women who took advantage of the new job opportunities that occurred due to a shortage of man power in the factories at the time. Most of the fields of work which women joined were previously male dominated for example nursing and engineering (Thompson and Paul 90). The struggle to restore freedom and dignity of the Americans regardless of their race and sex has led to an era where humanity enjoys justice and reason that has replaced the situation of slavery.

Conclusion

In summary, the bounds of power and knowledge are being extended by science where inventions that benefit the field of medicine are emerging every day. Art has also taken the lead in refining life providing a chance of grace and beauty in the lives of individuals. The elements of nature, developed industries and inventions that have prevailed in the present America and the world in general have contributed towards the increase of the world’s wealth.

Works Cited

Corbett, P S, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd Pfannestiel, Paul Vickery, Oral Roberts, and

Sylvie Waskiewicz. U.s. History. Houston, Texas: OpenStax College, 2016. Internet

resource.

Freeman, Evelyn B. “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, the Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement.”Language Arts 94.4 (2017): 272.

Rodenburg, Patsy. The right to speak: working with the voice. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015.

Spring, Roger. Deculturalization and the struggle for equality: A brief history of the education of dominated cultures in the United States. Routledge, 2016.

Thompson, Paul. The voice of the past: Oral history. Oxford university press, 2017.

Tosh, John. The pursuit of history: Aims, methods and new directions in the study of history. Routledge, 2015.