Give Me Liberty, Essay Example

The author is monotonous for covering the changing definitions of what American freedom is during the years of 1977-2000. He manifests his ideas with a single authored voice throughout the whole voice which gives a strong sense to the history of which he is trying to portray of long ago. He speaks of the Great Depression and protection of American freedom whilst showing how such freedoms have changed throughout the times due to political and social pressures. “The author shows a slight bias for the working people in his book.” (Foner, 2009). The book is organized by events rather than chronology which make it difficult to follow. This is probably a conscious choice by the author to make the illustrative historical points in time.

Chapter 17 is focused on the freedoms that the people of America had to overcome to gain insurmountable and endless freedom overall which ran through the Industrial Revolution to the Civil Rights Era. Chapter 18 is focused on the Progressive Era where freedoms were gained through surmountable struggles and chaos but where they were won with empathy of some and protest of others. There was constant struggle amongst the lower class and the higher class and the division of the minority and majority classes which came to an end once freedom was eventually gained through perilous achievements of force. Legislative acts helped to ensure the lower minority class would have the freedom they longed for desperately for so many years.

References

Foner, E. Give Me Liberty Chapter 17 Freedom’s Boundaries at Home and Abroad and The Progressive Era Volume 2, 2009.