Visions of Freedom: Havana, Washington, Pretoria, and the Struggle for Southern Africa, 1976-1991

A political scientist examines how the meaning of freedom has changed in American discourse—and how we can reclaim our most treasured value. The vision of American freedom that the Founders enshrined in the Declaration of Independence is very different from the free-market idea of freedom that is ascendant today. In Freedom Reclaimed, John E. Schwarz examines the profound implications of this shift in political rhetoric. Schwarz shows how the three-decade shift toward free-market freedom has brought economic hardship to the majority of Americans and suffering to the political life of the nation. As the nation moves further away from its impelling original commitment, most Americans now have only limited access to the freedom the Founders envisioned. In policy discussions on employment, education, social issues, and health care, Schwarz recasts our understanding of what freedom means and involves. He then sets forth a program that can help America return to its ennobling vision and resume its historic journey.

Freedom... What does it mean to you? Do you know how to get? Have you made a decision that you are tired of not being able to do what you truly want to do? Then you have come to the right place. The principles in this book are what took me from Foreclosure to Freedom in a very short period of time. As a young woman, I've always known that I wanted to be in control of my life. I never was able to even keep a job for more than one full year due to my lack of interest and lack of freedom. Today I have the luxury of truly living a life of leisure. I am able to do things and travel to places I never imagined. I believe in these principles so much that I am willing to give you a life-time money back guarantee on the purchase price of this book. I look forward to the day when I receive your call, email, letter or see you at one of my events and you share your testimony with me of how these principles have changed your life. I want to celebrate your freedom with you!

The Two Faces of American Freedom boldly reinterprets the American political tradition from the colonial period to modern times, placing issues of race relations, immigration, and presidentialism in the context of shifting notions of empire and citizenship. Today, while the U.S. enjoys tremendous military and economic power, citizens are increasingly insulated from everyday decision-making. This was not always the case. America, Aziz Rana argues, began as a settler society grounded in an ideal of freedom as the exercise of continuous self-rule—one that joined direct political participation with economic independence. However, this vision of freedom was politically bound to the subordination of marginalized groups, especially slaves, Native Americans, and women. These practices of liberty and exclusion were not separate currents, but rather two sides of the same coin. However, at crucial moments, social movements sought to imagine freedom without either subordination or empire. By the mid-twentieth century, these efforts failed, resulting in the rise of hierarchical state and corporate institutions. This new framework presented national and economic security as society’s guiding commitments and nurtured a continual extension of America’s global reach. Rana envisions a democratic society that revives settler ideals, but combines them with meaningful inclusion for those currently at the margins of American life.

Freedom Faith is the first full-length critical study of Rev. Dr. Prathia Laura Ann Hall (1940–2002), an undersung leader in both the civil rights movement and African American theology. Freedom faith was the central concept of Hall’s theology: the belief that God created humans to be free and assists and equips those who work for freedom. Hall rooted her work simultaneously in social justice, Christian practice, and womanist thought. Courtney Pace examines Hall’s life and philosophy, particularly through the lens of her civil rights activism, her teaching career, and her ministry as a womanist preacher. Moving along the trajectory of Hall’s life and civic service, Freedom Faith focuses on her intellectual and theological development and her radiating influence on such figures as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Marian Wright Edelman, and the early generations of womanist scholars. Hall was one of the first women ordained in the American Baptist Churches, USA, was the pastor of Mt. Sharon Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and in later life joined the faculty at the Boston University School of Theology as the Martin Luther King Chair in Social Ethics. In activism and ministry, Hall was a pioneer, fusing womanist thought with Christian ethics and visions of social justice.

One of the most important African American leaders of the twentieth century and perhaps the most influential woman in the civil rights movement, Ella Baker (1903–1986) was an activist whose remarkable career spanned fifty years and touched thousands of lives. A gifted grassroots organizer, Baker shunned the spotlight in favor of vital behind-the-scenes work that helped power the Black freedom struggle. Making her way in predominantly male circles while maintaining relationships with a vibrant group of women, students, and activists, Baker was a national officer and key figure in the NAACP, a founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and a prime mover in the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In this definitive biography, Barbara Ransby chronicles Baker's long and rich career, revealing her complexity, radical democratic worldview, and enduring influence on group-centered, grassroots activism. Beyond documenting an extraordinary life, Ransby paints a vivid picture of the African American fight for justice and its intersections with other progressive struggles worldwide throughout the twentieth century.

Biography of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland follows her from her childhood in 1950s Virginia through her high school and college years, when she joined the Civil Rights Movement, attending demonstrations and sit-ins. She also participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961 and was arrested and imprisoned. Her life has been spent standing up for human rights.

It's a time when men, women, and children are herded and sold like cattle. A time of broken spirits and divided families. Lucindy Eaton. A slave determined to raise her children in freedom. Denton Beaumont. An ambitious man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Richmond Davidson. A man of faith destined to change the world. . . . Yet even in the midst of a nation's turmoil, a few will stand. A few will fight. And one man will make a decision that has the power to change the face of America forever.

* Presents some glimpses from Gandhi's life: how he adopted non-violence as a potent tool in his quest for the 'truth force' and led the path to India's independence* Showcases some hand-picked photographs from the National Gandhi Museum, which portray various scenes from Gandhi's life with his South African friends, co-workers and Kasturba, his wife. These show his transformation over the years, and a few personal moments as well, which highlight his bonding with family and children* Exhibits the picture that Gandhi himself envisioned of what the future of India as a free nation would behold* Rich in archival content, the book should help scholars and students alike, researching on the subject Gandhi's Vision: Freedom and Beyond chronicles the principal events leading to India's independence under Gandhi's leadership and his vision of a free India. The book commemorates 71 years of Indian independence and is replete with portraits of the Mahatma in action - invoking the spirit of patriotism, uniting people from all religions, regions and social groups across the country: Hindus, Muslims and Parsis, peasants and landlords, workers and capitalists, the intelligentsia and the illiterates, men and women, the young and the old. Among those stalwarts who led the freedom movement, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi shines not only for the novel means of non-violence, but also for simultaneously wanting to root out social evils like communal hatred, untouchability and gender disparity. With several such issues espoused by him continuing to dominate the social space, his teachings remain relevant even today. Contents:Introduction; Towards Freedom; The Awakening; Pre-Gandhian Movements in India and Gandhi in South Africa; Gandhi's Return to India; Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience in India; The Final Call - Quit India Movement; Walking Alone and Freedom; Gandhi's Dream of Free India; Vision of India as a Stable, Flourishing and Sustainable Nation; Progress with Knowledge and Education; Acknowledgements; References.

This is a compelling and dramatic account of Cuban policy in Africa from 1959 to 1976 and of its escalating clash with U.S. policy toward the continent. Piero Gleijeses's fast-paced narrative takes the reader from Cuba's first steps to assist Algerian rebels fighting France in 1961, to the secret war between Havana and Washington in Zaire in 1964-65--where 100 Cubans led by Che Guevara clashed with 1,000 mercenaries controlled by the CIA--and, finally, to the dramatic dispatch of 30,000 Cubans to Angola in 1975-76, which stopped the South African advance on Luanda and doomed Henry Kissinger's major covert operation there. Based on unprecedented archival research and firsthand interviews in virtually all of the countries involved--Gleijeses was even able to gain extensive access to closed Cuban archives--this comprehensive and balanced work sheds new light on U.S. foreign policy and CIA covert operations. It revolutionizes our view of Cuba's international role, challenges conventional U.S. beliefs about the influence of the Soviet Union in directing Cuba's actions in Africa, and provides, for the first time ever, a look from the inside at Cuba's foreign policy during the Cold War. "Fascinating . . . and often downright entertaining. . . . Gleijeses recounts the Cuban story with considerable flair, taking good advantage of rich material.--Washington Post Book World "Gleijeses's research . . . bluntly contradicts the Congressional testimony of the era and the memoirs of Henry A. Kissinger. . . . After reviewing Dr. Gleijeses's work, several former senior United States diplomats who were involved in making policy toward Angola broadly endorsed its conclusions.--New York Times "With the publication of Conflicting Missions, Piero Gleijeses establishes his reputation as the most impressive historian of the Cold War in the Third World. Drawing on previously unavailable Cuban and African as well as American sources, he tells a story that's full of fresh and surprising information. And best of all, he does this with a remarkable sensitivity to the perspectives of the protagonists. This book will become an instant classic.--John Lewis Gaddis, author of We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History Based on unprecedented research in Cuban, American, and European archives, this is the compelling story of Cuban policy in Africa from 1959 to 1976 and of its escalating clash with U.S. policy toward the continent. Piero Gleijeses sheds new light on U.S. foreign policy and CIA covert operations, revolutionizes our view of Cuba's international role, and provides the first look from the inside at Cuba's foreign policy during the Cold War. -->