The phrase "free to be put in a cage" refers to the ghettos of the northern states. In the 30's and 40's Southern African Americans flocked to the north and these areas which went into a decline in the 60's (which coincides with Lester Maddox timeframe). The left the south to find better paying jobs and escape the racism of the south but found themselves confronted with the same issues in the north.
The phrase "free to be put in a cage" refers to the ghettos of the northern states. In the 30's and 40's Southern African Americans flocked to the north and these areas which went into a decline in the 60's (which coincides with Lester Maddox timeframe). The left the south to find better paying jobs and escape the racism of the south but found themselves confronted with the same issues in the north.