US History to 1877

    One outcome of the turmoil in Britain’s North American colonies, the American Revolution, and the founding of the United States was the emergence of a particular American concept of freedom and liberty. During the American Revolution, both the institution of slavery and enslave people, played a vital role in shaping the new nation. After the war, freedom and liberty did not truly extend to all Americans as enslaved people and their white allies had hoped. Some states in the North of the new nation began to gradually abolish slavery. But in most places, American slavery and American freedom existed in paradox. It follows that the story of Ona Judges does not just teach us about the character of American slavery, it also demonstrates to us the character of American freedom.    What does the story of Ona Judge and the Washington family teach us about the character of American freedom in the Early Republic?