Autonomy: examples

Controlling family life

Under slavery, enslaved people could have their family relationships disrupted by sale or forced separation.

After emancipation, formerly enslaved people sought to:

• reunite families;
• decide whom to live with;
• control marriage;
• raise children within their own families.

That is family autonomy.

The Library of Congress records the extraordinary efforts of formerly enslaved people to find family members after emancipation.

Determining where to live

Suppose a former slave says:

“I no longer want to live on my former owner's plantation. I want to move somewhere else.”

The ability to make that decision is an element of autonomy.

Controlling one's own labor

Under slavery:

another person legally controlled your labor.

After emancipation:

you could choose whether to work and, within the constraints of the labor market, for whom to work.

The Library of Congress specifically notes that freedpeople could choose where they labored and the type of work they performed.

Establishing one's own economic livelihood

Instead of:

“I work because my master orders me to,”

the person seeks:

“I will work, save money, acquire land, run a business, or establish an independent livelihood.”

That is economic autonomy.