The Illusion of Freedom

What is American? When we think American, we think freedom. After all, the basis of our founding fathers was the idea of freedom. The Declaration of Independence states, “That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” Therefore, freedom is an important basis for the American identity. We can even see this connection to freedom in the canon of American literature. Walt Whitman, in his preface to “Leaves of Grass,” acknowledges the inhabitants of the United States have a “deathless attachment to freedom.” However, this freedom was not always attainable to everyone, especially those of the “other” gender or race. This theme of freedom, or lack of it, actually connects the works of many literary artists, especially those who wrote in the 19th century when America was trying to find its identity as a newly formed nation, but was denying freedom to certain Americans based merely on gender and race. These authors saw the irony of the country that boasted freedom as its foundation and yet reduced or eliminated freedom to some based solely on gender or race, or the intersection of both. 

Slavery especially denied freedom to people based on race, but slavery further placed African American women on a lower scale than white women, or even black men. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, although a fictitious novel- and two film versions in 1927 and 1987, gives us a clear picture of what it was like for a black female slave in the Chapter entitled, “The Quadroon’s Story.” Cassy explained how her status was even lower than Tom’s: “’Don’t call me Missis! I’m a miserable slave, like yourself, - a lower one than you can ever be!’” Cassy described her miserable life as a slave to a cruel plantation owner; and gave details on how slaves are not protected by any laws and can be beaten or even murdered with no consequences to the offenders. Just the fact that Cassy could be bought and sold as property displayed the lack of freedom afforded to African American slaves; however, she further identified herself as a lower class slave because she was a woman. Slave women were also subjected to sexual abuses because they were thought of as property and, thus, did not retain the rights to their own bodies, making them feel less human than men slaves.

Looking at earlier first-hand accounts of the enslaved, we can see that the fictitious character of Cassy wasn't far off in her characterization of a female slave. Harriet Jacobs  confirmed this idea that slaves were no more than property in her “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” as she explained “These God-breathing machines are no more, in the sight of their masters, than the cotton they plant, or the horses they tend. Jacobs described the life of a slave as subservient humans, “to be entirely unprotected by law or custom; to have the laws reduce you to the condition of a chattel, entirely subject to the will of another.” Because this was written as an autobiographical account, Jacobs is excellent at conveying the dehumanization she felt in the hands of slave owners, especially Dr. Flint who not only treated her as property, but wished to use her as a concubine for his own sexual satisfaction. Jacobs was chaste, and an unwilling sexual partner, which only caused Dr. Flint to see Jacobs as an insubordinate slave who needed to be punished for her outspoken and uncooperative nature.

Jacobs was subjugated to the lowest position on the scale, but her spirit was never broken. She believed, appropriately, that every person, male or female, black or white, was entitled to freedom, especially in a country that touted freedom as its foundation. When Jacobs was offered the purchase of her freedom through her friends in New York, Mrs. Dodge responded, “I have heard her say she would go to the ends of the earth, rather than pay any man or woman for her freedom, because she thinks she has a right to it.” Jacobs further highlighted that “women were articles of traffic in New York…. [and this fact should be used] to measure the progress of civilization in the United States.” These United States could not be flaunted as the land of the free and, at the same time, keep people as property under the false sense of justifiable enslavement.

These issues rooted in the intersection of gender and race were addressed in the literature of the 19th century and can be best understood through the works of these women who lived through these times of repression. All of these women related stories of oppression, slavery, and subjugation because this is how it was for African American women in 19th Century America. This certainly does not portray a country that boasts its ideals of freedom and equality and raises questions about the foundation of America. 

This intersection of gender and race complicates the ideal of freedom on which America was founded. Freedom and liberty were not afforded to everyone who lived in America, but were only given based on gender and race, which was clearly highlighted in the literature of the 19th century women. It is now the 21st century and we are closer to Whitman’s ideal America “when those in all parts of these states … realize the true American character” of freedom for all. However, that “true American character” was slow in coming even after the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Women’s Rights Movements and is still not completely realized even today. Unfortunately, even with laws to protect against discrimination based on gender and race, prejudices exist in our country which boasts the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” making the ideal of freedom truly an illusion.