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Freedom can be defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as individuals want without hindrance or restraint. However, freedom in the borderlands was a volatile, somewhat nebulous thing due to the close proximity of different nations. This is exemplified by today's reading, which talks about the differences regarding freedom in the Mexican and American societies; it is an apt illustration of the tension that occurs between intersecting cultures that hold diametrically opposed views. I would define freedom in the borderlands as having a group of people who can successfully live and exist without facing discrimination or bias from another group. They need to have their own rights and be able to hold their cultural and religious beliefs and practices.

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Freedom in the borderlands is a space of contradictions and contestation. It is complex and not always linear or straightforward. In Mexico, black "freedom" may have looked very similar to American enslavement. Black people in Mexico often faced harsh treatment and lost much of their identity to assimilation. This is due to the intersection and contestation of different groups and cultures. Therefore, freedom in the borderlands is not guaranteed or universal.

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Freedom may be defined as bodily autonomy, in this case it may be a result from escaping a system of hierarchy. Freedom means being in a state where choices can be made without exploitation or heavy surveillance. Ideally freedom wouldn't be something that can be achieved but something that is inherent to living in any given space regardless of the labels that may determine the "freedom" an individual is given.

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in my opinion, true freedom is when a group of people are able to live - inhabit an area, carry out their livelihoods of choice and raise families - in the way that they choose without facing discrimination from a political, legislative or social standpoint, and without having to sacrifice any major part of their lives to do so, where they have full access to their rights as a person.

Freedom was defined in two ways - legally and socially. Legal freedom meant the presence of laws and protections that stated that you had certain rights in the eyes of the governing body. However, during this time, the social concept of freedom held more weight. The perceptions of race, social status, and values all accumulated to impact the choices different groups of people were allowed to make. Since choices seemed to always be limited in the context of the borderlands, freedom had to do with the quality of livelihood people were able to practice and individual independence.

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Freedom in the borderlands did not belong to one group of people or nation. Throughout different periods and regions, different people held more power than others, and imposed their will on groups that were at decreased advantage for the moment. Black slaves in the south, for example, there were degrees of attainable "freedom" Although Mexico outlawed slavery Black people were still subject to unfavorable living and working conditions.

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I would define freedom in the borderlands as having a group of people who can successfully live and exist without facing discrimination or bias from another group. They need to have their own rights and be able to hold their cultural and religious beliefs and practices.

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I would define freedom in the borderlands as being inherently tied to mobility, both physical and social. Free Black people's physical movement into Mexico and "settle" into the land and society of the country was an example of them exercising their legal rights to freedom. However, social mobility was not as easily achievable, due to the way the casta system kept Black people at the bottom, and new systems of labor (military camps and domestic service) restricting Black people and confining them to a certain space. For true freedom to be achieved in the borderlands, I would say that people would have to have be able to achieve both physical and social mobility, and be empowered to make choices about where they lived, how they worked, who they formed relationships with, etc. without restriction.

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I would define freedom in the borderlands as being able to practice individual cultural, religious beliefs, and just generally live life as a free person without being subjected to cruelty, discrimination, and suppression by other groups of people or by governmental legislation.

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in my opinion, true freedom is when a group of people are able to live - inhabit an area, carry out their livelihoods of choice and raise families - in the way that they choose without facing discrimination from a political, legislative or social standpoint, and without having to sacrifice any major part of their lives to do so, where they have full access to their rights as a person.

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In the U.S. freedom was taken away from people through slavery. In Mexico, slavery was abolished and illegal although when indigenous and black people migrated they still had to either serve the military or be servants or day laborers. So I don't think that slavery really was abolished since servant is another word for slave. The indigenous and black people did have more rights than in the US. Freedom to me is being able to have your own will and choice with your life which I think was still given to them in some areas of the borderlands.

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Freedom is securing basic human rights. As discussed in class, slaves who were still considered "free" in Mexico were denied decent working conditions, and a choice. True freedom is being able to dictate the direction of your life however you desire.

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Freedom in the borderlands is based on the identity of the group present and the role they play in the specific borderland. In the reading for example, we see the difference in freedom of former slaves in two borderlands, US and Mexico. In Mexico, freedom of African Americans is different compared to their level of freedom in the US. When Mexico had more Indigenous population, there was less necessity for African American labor, and therefore more freedom. Different borderlands are made of different groups who have changing beliefs about others, therefore, changing the perception of their freedom.

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How would you define freedom in the borderlands?

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How would you define freedom in the borderlands?

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Freedom in the borderlands can be defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as individuals want without hindrance or restraint.

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Freedom in the borderlands was a volatile, somewhat nebulous thing due to the close proximity of different nations. This is exemplified by today's reading, which talks about the differences regarding freedom in the Mexican and American societies; it is an apt illustration of the tension that occurs between intersecting cultures that hold diametrically opposed views.