When it was founded in 1776 after the Revolutionary War, the United States was built on the proposition of freedom, liberty, and justice for all. During the 1800’s, farmers kept African people as slaves and forced them to do work on farms. The issue of slavery divided Americans who felt that enslaving people was morally wrong and went against the constitution. This caused a civil war between people for and against slavery, which the outcome forever altered the true meaning of freedom in the United States. “The Narrative of Frederick Douglass” and “Across Five Aprils” are two stories that show how freedom and slavery were during and before the Civil War and how the Civil War affected the country.
