Ep 2. Part 2: Liberty in the Air

In Part 2: Liberty in the Air of Slavery and the Making of America Season 1, the focus shifts to the United States in the late 1700s, as it grapples with the contradictions inherent in its founding ideals of liberty and democracy while simultaneously relying on the labor of enslaved Africans. The episode examines the ways in which enslaved people themselves sought to claim these ideals for themselves, both through acts of resistance and through the legal system.

We begin by examining the influence of the American Revolution on enslaved people and their masters. While many slaveholders initially encouraged their slaves to fight for the British, hoping to discourage the spread of revolutionary ideas, the revolution also opened up new opportunities for enslaved people to assert themselves. Black soldiers and sailors fought in both the Continental and British armies, and some even won their freedom as a result. The episode also looks at the ways in which revolutionary rhetoric about natural rights and equality made slaveholders increasingly uncomfortable with their own position.

However, it became clear in the aftermath of the Revolution that the new American government was not going to be fundamentally opposed to slavery. The Constitution, drafted in 1787, included compromises that protected slavery in the South, such as the three-fifths compromise and the Fugitive Slave Clause. The episode examines how slaveholders and abolitionists alike struggled to reconcile these compromises with their own visions of justice.

One of the most interesting aspects of this episode is its focus on legal cases involving enslaved people and the question of whether they could be considered citizens. In 1783, a slave named James Somerset fled his master in Virginia and made his way to England. His case eventually came before the court, which ruled that slavery was not recognized by English law and that Somerset should be freed. This decision had far-reaching implications for the question of slavery in the United States, as it suggested that enslaved people might have the same rights as white citizens.

The episode also examines the case of Elizabeth Freeman, a slave in Massachusetts who sued for her freedom in 1781. Her argument, based on the idea that all people are created equal and that slavery was therefore a violation of natural law, won her freedom and set an important legal precedent. Similarly, the case of Quock Walker, a slave in Massachusetts who sued for his freedom on the basis of the state's constitution, helped to establish the idea that slavery was incompatible with the principles of the American Revolution.

Overall, Part 2: Liberty in the Air of Slavery and the Making of America Season 1 provides an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of the complex relationship between slavery and American ideals of freedom and democracy. Through a combination of historical reenactments, expert commentary, and archival footage, the episode brings to life the struggles of enslaved people seeking to claim their rights in a society that was often hostile to their aspirations. It also provides a compelling reminder of the ongoing legacy of slavery in modern American society.