They released him from the bars that enclosed him, but they didn’t prepare him for life outside the walls that imprisoned him. I spoke with a friend of his about his life after prison expecting to hear how thankful he was to have regained his liberty—to be outside those walls. I wasn’t prepared for her response. I was instead reminded of a poignant moment from the film The Patriot.
A posted bill from General Washington announcing that all slaves in service to the war effort for one year will be granted freedom. A slave from the militia uttered a single word in response:
“Freedom.”
His comment was met with a callous retort from one of the other men:
“What the hell are you gonna do with freedom?”
