American Freedoms

The United States has long been portrayed as a place where people are rewarded for hard work, seeking out new opportunities, and fighting to protect fundamental rights and freedoms. How do people who live in the U.S. see themselves fitting into this popular narrative? And what "freedoms" do they see as essential to their life here?

I am recording conversations nationwide with hundreds of people and asking them to weigh in on a familiar story about freedom and opportunity in the United States. What opportunities or privileges has living in this country helped them to enjoy, and what has been denied? What have they learned from their efforts and the efforts of others in the U.S. to secure political, cultural, economic, and personal freedoms? Are there fundamental rights or liberties that should be protected for anyone who calls the country their home, and do some Americans take their freedoms for granted? Why has the U.S. seen so much conflict over defining rights and freedoms, setting their boundaries, and guaranteeing them? And why, despite this history, do people still describe their aspirations—and their defense of freedoms—as part of an "American" tradition with shared goals and unified purpose?

The narrative in American Freedoms will be drawn from the interviews and so presented, literally, by the individuals who choose to participate. They will do the talking, without "experts" offering commentary or passing judgement on freedom's meanings and histories. And because so many people are involved, no one will get extensive screen time or have their views or life stories highlighted. The film will present a patchwork of conversations about a range of ideas, experiences, and convictions, many that viewers will find familiar and others that might surprise or confuse. It invites participants and the audience to put competing ideas about "American" freedoms—freedoms imagined, aspired to, and realized—in conversation with their own.

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