White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea

Podcast

White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea

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The era of the Enlightenment, which gave rise to our modern conceptions of freedom and democracy, was also the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. America, a nation founded on the principle of liberty, is also a nation built on African slavery, Native American genocide, and systematic racial discrimination. White Freedom traces the complex relationship between freedom and race from the eighteenth century to today, revealing how being free has meant being white.

 

About the Author

Tyler Stovall is professor of history and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University. His books include Transnational France: The Modern History of a Universal NationParis Noir: African Americans in the City of Light, and The Rise of the Paris Red Belt.