Book Report Progress: Exploring Liberty and Design Through These Truths

In reading?Jill Lepore's These Truths, we’ve been? diving into the foundational paradox of liberty in early America: the fight for freedom from British rule, while sustaining the enslavement of Black people.?

This contradiction exposes how liberty and freedom were selectively defined, favoring white colonists while excluding others through the ideology of racism.

The Boston Tea Party, where patriots symbolically dressed as Mohawks, reveals the colonial strategy of using design—visual symbols and theatrics—as tools of rebellion.?

Dressing as Mohawks symbolized a break from British authority and alignment with the land and its indigenous heritage, and to conceal their identity from reprisal.?

This connects to how enslaved people like Felix Holbrook and others petitioned for their freedom, adopting the language of liberty to challenge systemic oppression. Their 1773 petition?exemplified how design can be more than visual—it’s about crafting arguments and ideas that disrupt power.

We expect great things from men who have made such a noble stand against the designs of their fellow men to enslave them.”

For Black Americans, liberty was not just about independence from Britain but about breaking the chains of slavery. The Coercive Acts, Boston Harbor blockades, and colonial petitions all highlight how design and liberty are intertwined, shaping not only the revolution but also the enduring struggle for equality.

In Charleston, the sons of Liberty marched through the streets, chanting, “liberty and No Stamps!” only followed by slaves crying, “Liberty, Liberty!”

This chapter of history reminds us, as designers, of our role in creating narratives.? Visuals and words can expose contradictions or perpetuate them.? ?

Reading this book makes me wonder how do we design for liberty when freedom is still contested?