Plural of freeman; men who are legally free and not enslaved or bound to another person, with full legal rights and responsibilities.
From Old English frēoman, plural of frēo (free) + man. A term used from medieval times onward to distinguish free persons from serfs, slaves, and those bound by feudal obligation.
In colonial America, 'freemen' were the men allowed to vote—women and enslaved people didn't count, which showed that 'free' was often a much narrower club than it sounds today.
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