Customer Reviews

The Story of American Freedom

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first became acquainted with Eric Foner through his masterful "Reconstruction," a book of history that illuminated modern problems and prospects through a detailed look at their historical roots perhaps better than any other I have read. Taken in and of itself I have not found another book on the Reconstruction period that is as good, or as deep, or as well written. "Freedom" seems to be a different kind of work, an intellectual history that tested my abilities in a way that "factual" history does not. Even as he describes the shifts, subtle and overt, that have either dragged, or been dragged, by concepts of freedom, he never seems to lose the sense of the impelling force of that concept. This is a great book for students of history, and of America, since it is a superb inquiry into our commitment to an ideal so powerful that it has been a driving force throughout the world in this latter half of the century. It is also a great book for those interested in political life generally. It entertains and challenges, and teaches even amateurs like me.

The idea of freedom in American history seems to have gone through a series of cycles and metamorphic changes to suit a variety of social, political, and economic changes. These changes constitute a history in and of itself which goes far to define what freedom means to America's diverse population. Eric Foner's book "The Story of American Freedom" seeks to narrate that interesting history. Foner basically breaks down the meaning of freedom into two distinct spheres. Freedom of the individual to do as he/she pleases without government interference and, second, freedom that is supported by government intervention. Foner makes interesting points when he reveals that our nation's idea of freedom started out as socially narrow and then expanded to include other races and women as well. Economically, as demonstrated during the Gilded Age, freedom was to be enjoyed by those who fit the Darwinian ideal and denied to those who fell short of it. During the Progressive era, Foner illustrates that freedom was defined as government regulations on labor, food safety, and child labor laws meant to ensure the right to a better lifestyle. Throughout the book, Foner brilliantly narrates how the idea of freedom was tailored for political purposes for both the Left and the Right. I really enjoyed this book. Both a critique and a narrative of the idea of freedom, Foner's book provides a comprehensive overview of this all-pervasive concept. While I found it to be a little biased in its treatement of the 1960's (which prevents a 5-star rating) I nevertheless found it to be a well organized and well documented book (the pages of footnotes being very detailed). A must for an understanding of such an over-generalized concept.

Ever wonder why so many people disagree about what freedom means? Foner explains that freedom means social freedom to some, freedom from governmental interference to many, and economic freedom to yet others. Better yet he explains where these sometimes complementary and sometimes conflicting ideas come from in the American experience. Very readable, Foner is gifted and secure enough to write a scholarly book that can be enjoyed by those of us who are not history professors.

Eric Foner's title - The Story of American Freedom - is well chosen. The word freedom is so central to our national creed and discourse that it is seldom examined closely. Freedom for who? Freedom for what? Freedom from what?

Foner shows that far from being a fixed concept, the story of freedom is an ever-changing one. In our nation's founding, freedom was only truly enjoyed by property-holding white males. The story ever since then has been the expansion of the meaning in two broad historical senses. One is the struggle of broad classes of people to gain freedom. The freeing of slaves is the most famous narrative in this sense, but it is only one of many. For example, before that was the broadening of the right for democratic participation to wage earners as well as property-holders

The other is the expansion of what freedom itself means. Foner is especially good at exploring this with respect to womens' movements to not only gain the right to vote, but also to exercise more control over their own bodies.

One star is deducted in this review for the last chapter, which shows the peril of historians writing "today's history." As other reviews have alluded, this is the most politicized part of the book. Foner's strong left bias shows a lttle too baldly. I say this as one who basically agrees with his politics.

Still, essential reading for anyone interested in who we are as a people.

American's military forces are currently being placed in harm's way in Iraq, we are told, "to defend our freedoms." It is good at such times to place in perspective the freedoms for which Americans are dying. The burden of Eric Foner in this work is to chronicle the changing face of the words "liberty" and "freedom" in various periods of American history.
Foner's work is a largely dispassionate chronicle of the meaning of liberty from the nation's founding to the present. His work sketches not only the idealistic glory, but also the self-serving and even chicanery associated with the concept throughout the unfolding of America's story. The framework of organization which Foner has chosen to house his story is chronological, using a chapter to cover each major epoch of American history. The choice of eras is traditional, beginning with the founding and moving through the Jacksonian development, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Gilded and Progressive eras, World War I, the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, the Sixties developments and the rebirth of conservativism a generation later. Within each chapter he uses three themes to guide his examination. First is that of how Americans have understood the idea of freedom. He looks at responses from political, economic, personal and Christian perspectives. Secondly he looks at the social conditions of freedom. Is it delimited by governmental authority, social pressure, or economic power? Under what conditions does it seem to prosper or suffer restriction? Thirdly he looks at who the people are who are entitled to enjoy the blessings of American freedom. Or, as he says, "Who is an American?"

In my mind, the work suffers from one massive exception. Foner has no treatment of the period preceding the Revolutionary era. Considering the title word "Story," how could Foner neglect the story of Bradford and the Mayflower? Where is the gripping drama of Roger Williams' banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with all its implications for liberty and America's future? Though Foner confesses his personal bias in the choices that had to be made in such a survey as this book project presents, he offers not a word of lament or explanation for ignoring this foundational and pivotal period. Almost every Presidential hopeful quotes from the "city built on a hill" metaphor which connects to the Pilgrims' self-conception from this period. I would like to have seen his sketch of liberty's vita during America's period of colonial infancy.

Foner admits that his title, with its use of the word "Story," may be considered "postmodern," and as such, may imply he is not really doing history at all, except as one realizes that history is made by those who write about it, not by the actual events being written about. Foner allows his title to carry that ambiguity, even though his commitment to the craft of history is nobler than postmodernists would allow, because beyond its actual historical content , "freedom" is also a "mythic ideal." Since Foner realizes this mythic potential he is willing to allow a possible postmodern tag. Ultimately this is his admission that the subject he is pursuing, the vaunted and perpetual American ideal of freedom, is ultimately larger than any story written about, no matter how pure the historiography is. The promise of freedom is mythic because it is larger than the sum of all its parts, grander than the permutations of the individual pages in the American annals.

While Foner's style and tone is a steady stream of detached third-person narrative, his ink sizzles with perspective when he writes, "It is tempting to view the expansion of citizen's rights during Reconstruction as the logical fulfillment of a vision articulated by the founding fathers but for pragmatic reasons not actually implemented when the Constitution was drafted...Yet...Reconstruction represented less a fulfillment of the Revolution's principles than a radical repudiation of the nation's actual practice for the previous seven decades." If his title is purposed to leave some room for myths to reign, they have been dethroned here. For Foner, freedom is not making some grand, ever-advancing manifest development in America, but a maze where a pinball sometimes causes lights to flash, but sometimes goes down the hole.

It is a conviction of mine that nations, in their birth, rise, and fall, do not follow a history far dissimilar to that of any individual. While many people may have curricula vitae which appear zigzagged and rag-tag, I believe there is a development of the whole life and whole personality which defines each person and carries an interconnected life thread, a solitary life story. We may speak of the "mature Shakespeare" or the "early Roosevelt." In this sense I think it would be possible to sketch a history of the concept of freedom in the unrolling saga that is American history, which does reveal a maturing and unified development of "liberty." I would have liked to see more of this in Foner.

Though I am one who likes to view the history of freedom in this country as some species of a story of forward advance, I have benefited from the debunking pen of Foner. I salute him. His history has made me think and helped me grow, with the future and ultimate result that my students will be similarly affected. By being exposed to the changing nuances of the concept of freedom, they will become wiser in applying its promise to their generation.

It is often remarked that America is not a class society--because we don't, as a nation, speak in the language of class.

Similarly, Foner shows us that each country has its own language and key terms, a paradigm of language with which to speak about issues. The word "Freedom" and "Liberty" are always used by Americans but for often divergent means. For example, before the civil war, freedom for a slave meant his physical freedom, for a northerner, it meant the freedom to use one's own labor and land, for a southern slave owner, freedom meant the freedom to use one's own property in human beings to gain economic freedom and independance. They all spoke the same language, but come to wildly different conclusions as to what that language meant, even though all sides saw "freedom" as an important concept.

This is akin to today when both sides in the abortion debate appeal equally passionately about "consitutional rights." Foner shows how circumstances and time alter the meaning and implications of language, but keep the language itself remarkably consistent over the past 200 years.

By showing this unity of lanugage Foner shows how one ideological movement can subtlely morph into another. For example, he shows how the Republicans of anti-bellum times who decried slavery because it kept labor from being free, were in large part the same people who came to beleive in social darwinism because once labor is free--it is simply a matter of sutvival of the fittest.

A great book an an easy read for non-history experts

This is an extraordinary book. Eric Foner traces the evolution of our understandings and meanings of freedom from America's foundation to the present. The concept of freedom is fundamentally cultural. That is, it embodies the habits of the heart, mind, and action of the American people: what we believe, how we feel, and how we act out our beliefs regarding freedom. Foner illustrates how our understandings of freedom have expanded, deepened and become more inclusive over the decades as a function of events, struggles, debates, Surpreme Court decisions, and outright violence, e.g. Civil War.
You might say, our understandings of freedom are continually being forged in real life conflicts over its meanings wheather it was slavery, segregation, women's right to vote, unions, and the current freedom issues of gay marriage etc. In the end, Foner's book provides the reader with a deep understanding of how our notions of freedom have and continues to evolve. Foner educates us about American history and what it means to be an American. A great and optimistic book and a must read for anyone who want's to understand the fundamental character of our nation amd the core of the American Identity.

The first 100 pages or so basically tries to answer the question of how a 'free' country could permit slavery. After that the book describes the plight of what these days are called (inaccurately) 'special interest groups' and how they fit into the broader context of american history.

The book excels on many levels and is readable for a non scholar such as myself. It informs in a well written, accessible tone. The passage of time is done so smoothly you barely notice the changing eras. This device emphasizes the theme of freedom and is very effective. The author remains objective (aside from the descriptions of the Reagan era) throughout the story and has obviouly researched his subject thoroughly. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good and thought provoking american history read.

Eric Foner's THE STORY OF AMERICAN FREEDOM traces the shifting meanings and practices of freedom thorough American history. As Foner notes, "A morally charged idea, freedom has been used to convey and claim legitimacy for all kids of grievances and hopes, fears about the present and visions of the future."

His approach to the history of freedom revolves around three interrelated themes: "the meanings of freedom; the social conditions that make it possible; and the boundaries of freedom -- the definition, that is of who is entitled to enjoy it." With respect to the first theme he starts with American Revolution where freedom was equated with a community's right to self-determination. He notes that in "the post-revolutionary period, political democracy...became central to the meaning of freedom, and it was in the language of freedom that excluded groups that claimed the right to vote. Even today, when more privatized meanings prevail, the idea of freedom as active engagement in public life has not entirely disappeared from our political culture." With respect to the notion of non-interference in the lives of its citizens, Foner writer: "governmental power has been seen by some Americans as a danger to liberty, and by others as a means toward what John Dewey called 'effective freedom'-- the ability to shape the institutions that determined the lineaments of freedom. Another dimension he explores is economic freedom tracing the idea of economic autonomy enshrined in early America in the idea of the small producer, and then the notion of "free labor." As Foner notes: "As the industrial economy matured and the goal of proprietorship faded for most Americans, alliterative definitions of economic freedom came to the fore: 'liberty of contract' in the Gilded Age; 'industrial freedom' (a say in corporate decisionmaking) in the Progressive era; economic security during the New Deal, and more recently the ability to partake of mass consumption within a market economy."

With respect to the second theme, the social conditions that make it possible, Foner suggests that Americans "have identified as obstacles to the enjoyment of individual freedom governmental authority, social pressures for conformity, bureaucratic institutions, 'private' arrangements like the traditional family, and concentrated economic power." Further he goes on to note that even "those who adopt a purely 'negative' view of freedom as the absence of external coercion, rather than, for example, economic autonomy or political empowerment, must identify what constitutes illegitimate coercion." In the antebellum era, influenced by Jefferson and other political thinkers such as Locke, ownership of property was seen as an essential condition to political autonomy, while in the 20th century "feminists sought to recast gender relations in order to afford women the same freedom as men, and Americans divided over whether poverty and lack of economic security should be seen as deprivations of freedom that the government had an obligation to alleviate."

With respect to the third theme, the picture of the battleground for the meaning of freedom is complete--the definition of those entitled to enjoy its blessings. Here he notes that the Founding Fathers were not the authors of the universalistic American Creed, Gunnar Myrdal's name for "a belief in the essential dignity of all human beings and their inalienable right to democracy, liberty and equal opportunity." Rather it was the abolitionists who fought to extend liberty to compass blacks, slave and free. Similarly, women seized upon the rhetoric of democratic freedom to demand the right to vote; and immigrant groups who insisted that nativity and culture ought not to form the boundaries of exclusion."

Foner tells us that the title of the book is meant to be "ambiguous or ironic," even postmodern. Noting that over the course of our history, "American freedom has been both a reality and a mythical ideal -- a living truth for millions of Americans; a cruel mockery for others," Foner shows in this engaging and insightful history the struggle to create, reinstate and elborate the meaning of this most cherished of American ideals. The past 30 years or so, Foner notes the word's meaning has more and more controlled by conservatives in service of capitalism, or as this group tendentiously came to define it, the "free-enterprise" system. Foner notes that while in office Ronald Reagan used the word freedom more than any other American president. It was this redefinition of freedom that has redrawn the boundaries with respect to which groups are worthy of freedom and to castigate those who fail to take advantage of the opportunity to freely contract with employers, that has reset the clock to the predatory anti-labor, pro-business era prior to the New Deal. Calvin Coolidge's reductive tautology -- "The chief business of the American people is business" -- has once again come to define the true meaning the American Creed.

As Americans we have a tendancy to think of this country as the birthplace of freedom and enlightenment, that is just came to us naturally from the very beginning. Well, think again. We have not only thwarted freedom for women, minorities, immigrants and others, but our struggle for freedom has been long and is not over yet.
This book also explains the differences in our meaning of the word freedom and how it has been used and manipulated by ever special interest group.
This is a fascinating study and a compelling read. It should have been written, now it needs to be read. FIVE STARS!