Epilogue: In the Centuries to Come: Projections of Slavery and Freedom

The epilogue offers some general reflections about the end of slavery and the meanings of freedom for the ex-slaves. It shows that the expectations created in the struggles against slavery were fundamental for defining the direction of struggles for citizenship after slavery. It also shows that the meanings of freedom were tied to the expectations of citizenship and freedom developed while ex-slaves were struggling against slavery. And after abolition, memories of slavery and projects for freedom and citizenship were subjects of dispute. Hopes and disillusion are part of this history of redefining the meanings of freedom and slavery, which is, after all, a history that extends to the present day.