Mike Konczal

“In this turn against Reconstruction we see how the American idea of freedom is a living, evolving thing. Before, Greeley believed that simply ending slavery and providing a background of free labor policies would be enough to ensure that people could be self-sufficient, independent, and removed from the arbitrary domination of others. It led Greeley to promote ideas that were genuine and remarkable in creating this freedom, with free homesteads among the most important. But the challenge of Reconstruction showed Greeley that this wouldn’t be sufficient in a new era.”
― Mike Konczal, Freedom from the Market: America's Fight to Liberate Itself from the Grip of the Invisible Hand

“His idea of shared interest and self-sufficiency among all parties was at its most developed when it came to leading the campaign for land reform and free homesteads, as he saw land as the solution to labor unrest within the growing market economy.”
― Mike Konczal, Freedom from the Market: America's Fight to Liberate Itself from the Grip of the Invisible Hand