self-emancipation
noun
self-eman·ci·pa·tion
ˌself-i-ˌman(t)-sə-ˈpā-shən 
plural self-emancipations
: the act or process of emancipating oneself
… but [Frederick] Douglass's escape was more prosaic, mirroring many self-emancipations from the period that depended more on logistics and less on romance.—
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and John Stauffer
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and John StaufferKarl Marx described socialist revolution as the self-emancipation of the working class.—Sharon Smith
Sharon SmithExamples of self-emancipation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many freedom seekers began their journey unaided and many completed their self-emancipation without assistance, but each subsequent decade in which slavery was legal in the United States, there was an increase in active efforts to assist escape.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
In fact, Lincoln’s proclamation was more a recognition of the Africans’ self-emancipation than an order to be carried out.
—John L. Hudgins, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2024
The Spirit That Guides Betye Saar: The 97-year-old artist’s newest works reflect her decades-long interest in cultural artifacts and self-emancipation.
—Kurt Soller Josh Robenstone, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Four years later, however, an unexpected source presented Harry with another opportunity for self-emancipation.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 June 2023
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Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
In fact, Lincoln’s proclamation was more a recognition of the Africans’ self-emancipation than an order to be carried out.
—John L. Hudgins, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2024
The Spirit That Guides Betye Saar: The 97-year-old artist’s newest works reflect her decades-long interest in cultural artifacts and self-emancipation.
—Kurt Soller Josh Robenstone, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Four years later, however, an unexpected source presented Harry with another opportunity for self-emancipation.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Self-emancipation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-emancipation. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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