Freedom's Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power
- Downloads：9906
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-13 17:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jefferson Cowie
- ISBN：1541672801
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A prize-winning historian chronicles a sinister idea of freedom: white Americans’ freedom to oppress others and their fight against the government that got in their way。
American freedom is typically associated with the fight of the oppressed for a better world。 But for centuries， whenever the federal government intervened on behalf of nonwhite people， many white Americans fought back in the name of freedom—their freedom to dominate others。
In Freedom’s Dominion， historian Jefferson Cowie traces this complex saga by focusing on a quintessentially American place: Barbour County， Alabama， the ancestral home of political firebrand George Wallace。 In a land shaped by settler colonialism and chattel slavery， white people weaponized freedom to seize Native lands， champion secession， overthrow Reconstruction， question the New Deal， and fight against the civil rights movement。
A riveting history of the long-running clash between white people and federal authority， this book radically shifts our understanding of what freedom means in America。
American freedom is typically associated with the fight of the oppressed for a better world。 But for centuries， whenever the federal government intervened on behalf of nonwhite people， many white Americans fought back in the name of freedom—their freedom to dominate others。
In Freedom’s Dominion， historian Jefferson Cowie traces this complex saga by focusing on a quintessentially American place: Barbour County， Alabama， the ancestral home of political firebrand George Wallace。 In a land shaped by settler colonialism and chattel slavery， white people weaponized freedom to seize Native lands， champion secession， overthrow Reconstruction， question the New Deal， and fight against the civil rights movement。
A riveting history of the long-running clash between white people and federal authority， this book radically shifts our understanding of what freedom means in America。
Reviews
Henry
，
Professor Cowie’s clean， potent， and precise prose hooks you from the very first page。 Speaking to a shivering crowd on a cold Alabama winter afternoon， the “man who would become the firebrand of the modern conservative movement seemed to breath history and exhale ghosts。” Sustaining a smooth and rhythmic beat throughout the book， Cowie traces the battle between the “freedom” to dominate others and the federal government’s uneven but crucial commitment to enabling all Americans to secure somethi Professor Cowie’s clean， potent， and precise prose hooks you from the very first page。 Speaking to a shivering crowd on a cold Alabama winter afternoon， the “man who would become the firebrand of the modern conservative movement seemed to breath history and exhale ghosts。” Sustaining a smooth and rhythmic beat throughout the book， Cowie traces the battle between the “freedom” to dominate others and the federal government’s uneven but crucial commitment to enabling all Americans to secure something resembling the “full blessing of American life。” Get this guy a Pulitzer。 。。。more
J Earl
，
Freedom's Dominion from Jefferson Cowie is an excellent look at how freedom is often， by whites who feel they are losing their entitlement， defined and manifests as opposition to the federal government。For many who support a more just and equitable society it can be difficult to grasp the ways in which many whites utilize the concept of freedom to justify an undeserved and often violent domination over other groups。 Yes， we can sorta grasp their twisting of the idea but only vaguely。 Cowie does Freedom's Dominion from Jefferson Cowie is an excellent look at how freedom is often， by whites who feel they are losing their entitlement， defined and manifests as opposition to the federal government。For many who support a more just and equitable society it can be difficult to grasp the ways in which many whites utilize the concept of freedom to justify an undeserved and often violent domination over other groups。 Yes， we can sorta grasp their twisting of the idea but only vaguely。 Cowie does a commendable job of showing just how， in the eyes of these people， they are fighting for freedom。 The thing that will still surprise us， though， will be that those people see nothing wrong with freedom being purposely and intentionally at the expense of， and on the backs of， other groups。To the extent that a warped idea of freedom can be treated fairly， Cowie does a great job。 Without endorsing those ideas he carefully lays out the how and why of their rationale。 In other words， by the time we have finished the book， we do better understand how people can believe they are fighting for freedom。 Theirs is an exclusive form while freedom is generally thought of as an inclusive idea。 By not so much disguising their racism but conflating it with the idea of state's rights they can， arguably， consider it a fight for freedom。 What really highlights their insincerity in the cause as defended is their eagerness to use the federal government against states and localities that don't toe their narrow-minded line。Aside from how much this book sheds some light on current events it is also an engaging work of history。 Well-written and presenting a lot of interesting information， this will appeal simply as a history book as well as a work showing the historical underpinnings of a lot of right-wing ideas about freedom。Highly recommended for any reader with an interest in history， especially as it speaks to our current social environment。 Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Janalyn Prude
，
This book is about the white people in Barbour county Alabama and how they don’t like change especially if it benefits minorities。 From land grabbing from the Indians to oppressing black citizens in the area it seems as if this is the status quo there。 Although I don’t think Barbour County is alone and it practices towards minorities this is where the book was focused。 This book reminded me of a book I read about Quebec and how the people there treated the people indigenous to that land。 I thoug This book is about the white people in Barbour county Alabama and how they don’t like change especially if it benefits minorities。 From land grabbing from the Indians to oppressing black citizens in the area it seems as if this is the status quo there。 Although I don’t think Barbour County is alone and it practices towards minorities this is where the book was focused。 This book reminded me of a book I read about Quebec and how the people there treated the people indigenous to that land。 I thought Jefferson Cowey did a great Job chronicling all the events and overall it was a very interesting book。 Peoples hatred has always been interesting to me from The Civil Wars in Africa， France， Britain and other places it always starts due to fear and hatred from the beginning of time people have disliked those different from them even among white people we have jokes about blondes and brunettes， Black people have jokes about darker or lighter skinned Black people even Asian people have jokes about those with bigger eyes so this is not a problem isn’t one that just my Nordie‘s face but it’s a bigger problem that has been going on for eons。 I thought this book was well researched and well told and I highly recommend it。 I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review。 。。。more
Brandon Westlake
，