What does "freedom" mean—and what has it meant in the past—to people who live in the United States? Why have assumptions about freedom so often differed and why have efforts to secure and protect it led to conflict? How have people's experiences shaped their thinking about freedom's place in American history?

If these questions interest you, I hope that you'll consider participating in the making of American Freedoms, a documentary compiled from conversations about this topic with hundreds of people nationwide. Why is there little agreement about what the term "freedom" describes, about what is necessary to secure freedoms in the U.S., and about the reasons that they are so often lost or denied? How has life in the United States helped or hindered individuals or their communities in securing political, cultural, economic, personal, and intellectual freedoms? Are there freedoms that all people in the U.S. should expect to enjoy and do Americans sometimes take their freedoms for granted?

Of course debates over these questions are as old as the nation, and people living in the United States have had very different experiences, expectations and priorities. Often the word "freedom" is invoked to suggest a shared national commitment to an abstract principle, when in fact Americans' relationships to the idea have been infinitely complex. American Freedoms will sample from stories and sentiments that have shaped people's thinking about freedom in this country, both past and present. The interviews will demonstrate why the concept defies easy characterization, why it has been a constant source of disagreement and conflict, and why demands for freedom in the U.S. continue to be so consequential.

The story in American Freedoms will be told, literally, by the hundreds of individuals who agree to an interview. Their voices will narrate and no "experts" (or filmmaker) will chime in to offer commentary. And because so many people will be featured, none will get extensive screen time. The film won't "profile" speakers, highlight the views or life stories of individual participants, or pass judgement by taking a position on freedom's many meanings and histories. It will present a patchwork of conversations in which people discuss their experiences, their understandings, and their convictions, some that will be familiar to viewers and others that will no doubt surprise or confuse. The film invites viewers to put competing ideas about freedom in America—freedoms imagined, aspired to, and realized—in conversation with their own.

What are "American freedoms"?

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American Freedoms A Documentary