Foner begins with the colonial era, when the Puritans believed that liberty was rooted in voluntary submission to God and civil authorities, and consisted only in the right to do good. John Locke, too, would argue that liberty did not consist of the lack of restraint, but of "a standing rule to live by, common to every one of that society, and made by the legislative power." Foner reveals the ideological conflicts that lay at the heart of the American Revolution and the Civil War, the shifts in thought about what freedom is and to whom it should apply. Adeptly charting the major trends of 20th-century American politics--including the invocation of freedom as a call to arms in both world wars--Foner concludes by contrasting the two prevalent movements of the 1990s: the liberal articulation of freedom, grounded in Johnson's Great Society and the rhetoric of the New Left, as the provision of civil rights and economic opportunity for all citizens, and the conservative vision, perhaps most fully realized during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, of a free-market economy and decentralized political power. The Story of American Freedom is a sweeping synthesis, delivered in clearheaded language that makes the ongoing nature of the American dream accessible to all readers. --Ron Hogan

Product Description
From the Revolution to our own time, freedom has been America's strongest cultural bond and its most perilous fault line, a birthright for some Americans and a cruel mockery for others. Eric Foner takes freedom not as a timeless truth but as a value whose meaning and scope have been contested throughout American history. His sweeping narrative shows freedom to have been shaped not only in congressional debates and political treatises but also on plantations and picket lines, in parlors and bedrooms. His characters include the well-known--Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan--and the anonymous--former slaves, union organizers, freedom riders, and women's rights advocates. In the end he gives us a stirring history of America itself focused on its animating impulse: freedom.

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.


A absolute must read for every American   February 5, 2003
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!


American history as it should be told.   September 8, 2002
 8 out of 14 found this review helpful

The author has chosen a topic - "freedom" - that has been prominent in discourse both public (political) and private (personal lives). In short, the topic - however variously defined, in specific historical contexts - is vital to our public and private lives. He deals with the material beautifully; I cannot say enough in his favor. The material is especially timely as we are being deluged (once again) with politically motivated, manipulative uses of "freedom" and "liberty". Read the book. I read a library copy,then bought three copies - one to keep, others for family members. One final note, a teaser: he makes a good case that our U.S. culture has elevated MATERIAL CONSUMPTION way up, perhaps to the very top of what is now seen as American "freedom." And this has not necessarily been voluntary; rather, many of what we might think of as more traditional and meaningful freedoms are no longer available, at least to folks lacking the $$$$ to buy consideration by political/corporate leaders. The best that many people can hope for is the attention of a salesperson in a store.