Final answer:
The differing views of former slaves and many white people on what freedom meant during the Reconstruction era were primarily due to social and political differences, rooted in the struggle for citizenship and equality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of why former slaves and many white people had differing views of what freedom meant during the Reconstruction era can be attributed to social and political differences. During Reconstruction, there were also significant economic differences at play, but the crux of the debate over freedom involved how African Americans and white Americans understood and experienced citizenship and equality. For African Americans, freedom meant an end to slavery and an opportunity to achieve economic independence, education, and political participation. White Southerners, however, were grappling with a loss of control over their economic and political systems and often viewed African American freedom as an infringement on their rights.
Radical Republicans and Northern leaders wanted to guarantee the legal, political, and social rights to African Americans, which were fiercely contested by many Southern whites. The notion of freedom was deeply tied to one's ability to exercise rights and access opportunities that were previously denied, so the African American experience during Reconstruction was very different from most whites, especially in the South where the legacy of slavery and racial hierarchy was deeply entrenched. This difference in perspectives was based on the lived realities of each group and their desires for the future of the nation post-Civil War.