Americans care a great deal about freedom. The frequency and confidence with which the word is used suggests that freedom is simple, absolute, and clear. In reality this is not always the case.

The experiences of people highlighted in What Is Freedom? reveal a complex and ambiguous picture of freedom as something that is experienced in a variety of ways and degrees. By exploring these stories and related primary source materials we confront questions about how freedom is obtained, exercised, defended, and sustained.

The aim of What Is Freedom? is to provide the occasion and the context for exploring some of these questions in depth, in the belief that careful examination of incidents, events, and people from our past can lead us to a more thorough and thoughtful understanding of what our own freedom means and requires.

Examine an Artifact

Examine an Artifact
Tom - Runaway Slave Advertisement

Investigate a Personal Story

Investigate a Personal Story
Thwarting Slave Catchers: The Crosswhite Family and Marshall, Michigan Resist Slavery