In Chapter 9 of Behind the Scenes, Elizabeth Keckley describes two very different reactions to liberty she witnessed while working among freed slaves. Some freedmen and freedwomen were miserable in the North, and even wished to return to their southern homes and their old lives. Others began building new homes and new lives for themselves, happy to be on their own and free. Keckley states that some slaves had exalted views of what freedom was going to be like. According to the text,“To them it was a beautiful vision, a land of sunshine, rest and glorious promise,”.They went north to Washington, and when they didn’t find the place they thought it was going to be, they left to go back to their old homes. “The colored people are wedded to associations, and when you destroy these you destroy half of the happiness of their lives.” Without the familiar surroundings and comforts, they didn’t know what to do with themselves, so they huddled in camps with others who were disappointed at what freedom really looked like. Keckley points to their inability to make a living for themselves when she says “independence brought with it the cares and vexations of poverty,” and she sounds sympathetic to their situation. All in all, some freed slaves didn’t …show more content…
According to the text,“went to work with commendable energy, and planned with remarkable forethought.” They build homes, schools, and communities. They delighted in having children, building their own homes, planting gardens, and taking care of farm animals. Keckley goes on to describe how the Freedmen’s Village in the outskirts of Washington was full of prosperity and happiness. Teachers were hired, and children of all types were advancing in school. These people did not whine about leaving the past and were excited to build a new future. To wrap it up, some slaves took advantage of their freedom and got an education as well as a