According to the document, Eric Foner's book "The Meaning of Freedom" argues that African Americans during Reconstruction sought autonomy to build a new black community centered around family, social organizations, economic independence, and equal rights, despite facing white resistance. Additionally, African Americans desired integration within the political sphere in order to achieve equality before the law and independence from white control. The document provides sources in a bibliography to support these ideas about Reconstruction-era politics and the meaning of freedom for African Americans.