freedwoman
Formerly enslaved woman
A freedwoman is a woman who was formerly enslaved and has been emancipated.
The term appears primarily in historical contexts, especially discussions of post–Civil War America: Freedwomen faced particular challenges in supporting their families after emancipation.
The male equivalent is freedman; the plural freedpeople covers both.
Formal freeing of enslaved
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- antebellumBefore a war's start
- abolitionistOpponent of human bondage
Freedmen's Bureau · Harriet Tubman · Sojourner Truth · Underground Railroad · Fourteenth Amendment · Fifteenth Amendment · Jim Crow · sharecropping
Release from legal bondage
- manumissionFormal freeing of enslaved
- unshacklingRemoving fetters or constraints
- deliveranceRescue from bondage
- releaseTo let go
unbinding · unfettering · extrication · rescue · redemption · salvation · self-liberation · escape
Right to cast ballots
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- equalitySame status for all
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- franchiseLicensed business operation
legislation · justice · advocacy · legal standing · voting · property ownership · marriage rights · parental rights
Capacity to recover quickly
- strengthPower to exert force
- leadershipAbility to direct others
- mentorshipGuidance from experienced person
- upliftmentAct of raising up
achievement · education · literacy · community-building · church leadership · mutual aid · activism · self-worth
Control over one's fate
- agencyPower to act
- self-sufficiencyIndependence from outside aid
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
- independenceFreedom from external control
sovereignty · choice · self-governance · self-directed · self-support · landowner · property rights · legal personhood
manumission
Formal freeing of enslaved
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- antebellumBefore a war's start
abolitionist · Freedmen's Bureau · Harriet Tubman · Sojourner Truth · Underground Railroad · Fourteenth Amendment · Fifteenth Amendment · Jim Crow · sharecropping · plantation
emancipation
Release from legal bondage
- manumissionFormal freeing of enslaved
- unshacklingRemoving fetters or constraints
- deliveranceRescue from bondage
release · unbinding · unfettering · extrication · rescue · redemption · salvation · self-liberation · escape · unchained
suffrage
Right to cast ballots
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- equalitySame status for all
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
franchise · legislation · justice · advocacy · legal standing · voting · property ownership · marriage rights · parental rights · contract rights
resilience
Capacity to recover quickly
- strengthPower to exert force
- leadershipAbility to direct others
- mentorshipGuidance from experienced person
upliftment · achievement · education · literacy · community-building · church leadership · mutual aid · activism · self-worth · progress
self-determination
Control over one's fate
- agencyPower to act
- self-sufficiencyIndependence from outside aid
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
independence · sovereignty · choice · self-governance · self-directed · self-support · landowner · property rights · legal personhood · mobility
- slaverychattel slavery, enslaved, slave, enslavement, slave traders
- Roman societypatrician, patricians, plebeian, plebeians, citizen
freedwomanbondwoman
Enslaved female person
slave · bondswoman · slave girl · chattel · bondservant