In the early 20th century, men and women from the United States and the United Kingdom vigorously campaigned for their right to vote, with the suffrage movements in both countries sharing ideas and inspiration despite their unique characteristics. In 1913, the renowned British suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst delivered a powerful speech in Hartford at the Parsons Theater.

Simultaneously, during this era, John and Alan Lomax recorded a variety of southern musicians, including Afro-Americans, white performers, and Mexican-Americans, for the Library of Congress. In 1934, they documented a work song called "Long John," performed by "Lightning" and a group of black inmates at Darrington State Prison Farm in Texas. These prisoners, while working together in labor gangs to break rocks and clear swamps, relied on the rhythmic and chant-like patterns of work songs, originally rooted in the collective labor of slavery, to synchronize their efforts. 'Liberations' is a hommage to the battles against tyranny and injustice.