The county was known as the "Free State of Jones," and some say it actually seceded from the Confederacy." The charter for the Free State of Jones County includes a provision that explicitly distinguishes between property and people. (CNN) "The Free State of Jones" emerges at a time when the number of TV shows and movies about American slavery has reached critical mass. For a person to claim freedom, or occupy a free state, one must first identify a condition of bondage, and define oneself against it. In a pivotal scene in the film, Newt Knight and his troops hide in the woods to ambush a Confederate supply wagon.

Source: CNN June 29, 2016 12:11 UTC