The South was in the process of reconstruction after the 1865 civil war, and the former slaves were demanding for freedom. The African-Americans believed they should be treated the same way as the whites; they should be given the same freedom and equal access to opportunities. Some of the whites believed that the blacks did not have any part or responsibility to play in the reconstruction of the South. This is precisely what the blacks were fighting, they knew it could take a while before their wishes were granted, but it was better trying.
The authority freedom required that obedience to the authority should be of the same level, anarchy was not in the definition of freedom but following the rule of law. However, the freedom to authority did not mean that people would enjoy the same level of independence. There were different social classes in the society, and the classes of high ranks demanded more liberty than those below them. It was believed that no one could challenge the king because he was ordained by God. The leadership was compared to that of a family where a woman was not allowed to own property or did not have any mandate over her salary (Foner, 2014). She wasn't allowed to write a will not unless under special circumstances. The king's subjects could be compared to the wife, and the slaves needed liberation from this kind of leadership.
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The former slaves also fought for liberty to Christianity. There were various definitions of freedom before slavery one being the specific privileges and rights enjoyed by a small group of people. Liberty to Christianity was no way connected to these beliefs before colonization. The country had a particular church which determined the acceptable forms of beliefs and worship. The people who failed to follow the set customs could be persecuted the state and also condemned by the church leaders. It was believed that uniformity in religion was necessary to maintain public order — the form of Christianity liberation that the former slaves were seeking stated that the religious customs were personal choices and not an obligation (Foner, 2014). It should not be a matter of which church will dominate the nation by compelling people to abide by it. Everyone should be given the right to choose their place of worship.
They also pursued to have the freedom to own property and land. During the slavery, the village leaders were responsible for allocating land to the families to use for a certain period. The unallocated one was left free for any person to use however they were not allowed to own the land. The ownership was temporary; families had only the right to land use. Despite the blacks being denied the right to land ownership, the whites enjoyed all these rights and privilege. It was time for the African-American to pressure the authorities to be allowed to own land just like the whites. They wanted to be allowed to own land and not being employed on the plantations. The blacks claimed that they were not being paid by their employers.
The blacks also persuaded freedom by fighting for the fundamental human rights and privileges that anyone should have. The former slaves argued that they are still in slavery if they cannot be allowed to do what they wish or do what the whites do. These basic rights included the right to access quality education; the slaves were not allowed to attend school by their master. They also persuaded the end of sexual exploitation of the black women by the slaveholders (Foner, 2014). No one deserves to be treated like a sex toy. The blacks were also seeking to be allowed to reunite with their families.
References
Foner, E. (2014). Give me liberty! an American history. New York:W.W. Norton & Company,
