Defining Freedom in Eric Foner's The Story of American Freedom

In Eric Foner’s book, The Story of American Freedom, he writes a historical monograph about how liberty came to be. In the book, his argument does not focus on one fixed definition of freedom like others are tempted to do. Unlike others, Foner describes liberty as an ever changing entity; its definition is fluid and does not change in a linear progress. While others portray liberty as a pre-determined concept and gradually getting better, Foner argues the very history of liberty is constantly reshaping the definition of liberty, itself. Essentially, the multiple and conflicting views on liberty has always been a “terrain of conflict” and has changed in time (Foner xv).

Foner focuses, specifically, on how the definition of liberty has been molded over time. He describes how other factors played a role in the change of liberty using three interrelated themes. The first theme, as he describes it, covers the dimensions or meanings of freedom. The dimensions include “political freedom, or the right to participate in public affairs… civil liberties, or rights that individuals can assert against authority…[and] moral or ‘Christian’ ideal of freedom,” the freedom to act morally or ethically good (Foner xvii). It also includes personal freedom or being able to make individual choices free from coercion, and “economic freedom…[which covers how] the kinds of economic relations constitute freedom for… [individual’s working lives]” (Foner xviii). All these dimensions are looked at individually as they play a role in reshaping the definition of freedom or liberty.

Foner not only focuses on the dimensions of freedom, he also focuses on the second and third theme as well. The second theme covers the social conditions which makes freedom possibl...

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...he very essence of liberty.

The freedom of earning one’s own wage labor was also reflected in J. California Cooper’s story, Family, when Sun ran away to the north to earn wages. He did everything to make sure he had a place to sleep and food to eat. He did not care because it was nothing compared to the reality of slavery. But by working, he was able to feel the very essence of liberty for the first time. This could be seen when Cooper describes how Sun “ was paid good cause he worked good…learned all [he] could…[and he] had a future there [as he got married with his boss’ daughter]” (Cooper 125). He was able to build his own life from the fruits of his labor and participate in the market revolution as he marries the daughter. At this time, he is expected to take over the family business and be a very successful person and experience, for the first time, freedom.