America is not universally free. This is easily proven with examples from a variety of subjects. For example, take LGBT rights. De jure, gay marriage is legal nationwide. But de facto, when one looks at the social reality dealt with by people who are not heterosexual, one finds that not everyone has the realistic ability to do so. Even on a de jure level, there are the “bathroom bills,” passed by North Carolina and looked at by many states, designed to limit transgender people’s ability to use the bathroom. But even if one deals with that, and all of the other issues of systematic discrimination faced by modern America- race, class, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc.- on both a de jure and de facto level, America would still not be universally free. What do I mean by this? Well, firstly I need to be entirely clear about what I mean by freedom. The Oxford English Dictionary defines freedom as “the state or fact of being free from servitude, constraint, inhibition, etc.; liberty.” This is true; however, any reasonable person can determine that that does not even begin to cover what “freedom” really means. There is emotional value in the word that simply cannot be captured by such a clinical definition. When I say freedom, what I really mean is the reasonable ability to make choices about one’s own actions and one’s own life. This does not have to be free from consequence, but it has to be a reasonable possibility on a de facto level. What exactly a
The most common phrase in America today is “Home of the Free”. When America first started out in the Colonies the above quote was probably very true. As time has passed through the centuries, America has felt the need to regulate and reduce the freedom that our founding fathers had intentionally planned for us. Such things as religion, reproductive rights, Native Americans and their rights, and marriage rights are being marginalized. These rights could be considered private matters that the government shouldn’t get involved with and probably rightly so.
Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is
Undoubtedly, everyone craves a sense of freedom, but when given too much of it, freedom corrupts the mind. It corrupts the mind into thinking that whatever that person does, whether it involve them self or others, will go unchecked. For example, “He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into
Is America as free as it seems? In the past, the United States has been a repeat offender when it comes to eliminating freedom for specific groups of people. Two examples of this, African Americans and Japanese Americans had their similarities and differences, but were both treated terribly by white supremacists in the United States (Coddon)(Selwyn).
Christopher Columbus sailed in 1492 and found the Americas. They claimed the Americas until the 18th century. The “Americans” enjoyed the freedom the British gave them from the negligence. Soon, they got themselves into a war with the French, which was fought in three different theatres; North America, Europe, India. The battles were known as the French Revolution and they were very costly. The British tried to pay off the debts earlier, but when the 7 year war ended, they expected the Americas to contribute to the cost-- but they did not. After all, they did defend them from the French and the Native Americans. Within the coming years, the British continued to tax the Americans and they refused to pay. The British tried to make and enforce laws, making the
Free-dom (free-dem) n. 1. The state or quality of being free; a) exemption or liberation from the control of some other person or arbitrary power; liberty; independence b) being able to act, move, use etc. without hindrance or restraint, confinement or repression. Freedom. A word that many people take for granted, but don’t realize how lucky we truly are. Freedom is a gift that is endowed upon us, whereas not everyone else in this world is presented with that same gift. Along with the idea of fighting for rights and freedom, many individuals have worked hard toward achieving the goal of ending slavery once and for all. America was affected both negatively and positively by the words and actions of many people. Through
The author of “In the Land of Free”, Edith Maud Eaton, with pen name Sui Sin Far, was not a direct immigrant from Asia to the United States, but she portrayed the harsh treatment Asian immigrants faced upon entering in the U.S. in the late 1800s. Sui Sin Far, working as a journalist for Fly Lea, had exposed the extreme injustice done to Asian Americans in U.S. while she was living on the west coast of the United States. In addition, Sui Sin Far’s narration throughout “The Land of the Free” presents the truth about what was immigrant’s life behind America's dreams of fortune.
is not a free country because of the rules and laws that African Americans and people of different color have to follow, yet some argue that the special laws for African Americans are only for a certain minority of states in the country where those rules applied to. Someone explains to Martin Luther King Jr. that there were certain states in the country where those rules and laws applied to. And most in the south, meaning that the country itself by majority can be considered free. Although, the fact that there’s still states where the oppression happens, and very seriously. Does not make this country a free country.
I don’t believe we’re free in America. We’re haunted by our history of racial discrimination, A stupid blind hatred.
Throughout history, we have seen so many wars and battles being introduced as a way to get what we want, instead we should try the theory of compromise. The Land of the Free has always been a dream to most outsiders, but with little trust in immigrants and their intentions, they have not been giving the opportunity to experience The American Dream for themselves. Thankfully with the new School of Opportunities Plan (PSOP), the dream of freedom can be administered to the immigrants who are true of heart and devoted to America, themselves, and their families. The plan will be exercised by a newly established public school that is eager to implement new theories and ideas into their education system.This particular plan will have three main goals
Peter Kropotkin once said, “America is just the country that how all the written guarantees in the world for freedom are no protection against tyranny and oppression of the worst kind.” Freedom does not completely protect one from oppression of any kind. Nevertheless, freedom seems to come with persecution of some sort. The choices we make identify the treatment we receive. In diverse parts of the globe, we meet numerous types of freedom. Nevertheless, they are alike for this liberty as a whole is not provided, rather only a part. The choices one makes from the freedom provided come with a variety of divergent outcomes. Consequences of these preferences are attached to our freedom. The freedom one holds makes the individual question: Are we
However there are always consequences amongst every action. However, this feeling of euphoria is not meant to last. In most cases society may realize that freedom is something that is not really obtained. A feeling of freedom is having that idea of “I am free to do what I want”.
To be free means to be American. To live in a country where people are all treated equally; to live in a country where people cannot complain about basic needs. In America, people can say the word free, and without a doubt know what it means. Every person in America has these freedoms that are so withheld and denied in third world countries. The people of America have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of education, and freedom of press.
Freedom by definition is said to be the right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint (Webster). Conception of freedom is almost instantons once the mind is ample enough to have the knowledge of choice making, between good or bad and bearing the consequences each choice brings. Freedom is also sense of being, in spirit, of leading yourself to full usage of free-will. Although freedom is sagacity along with the will of being free, it is still a tangible topic. Freedom certainly does exist furthermore as other physical establishments are made to take our freedoms away as a persecution to some malicious acts played out during the use of free-will. Incarceration in jails strip many global citizens sense and ability to be free, all due to their decision making in the 'free-world' after justice is placed. As Kant has explained through his experiences of believing that the senses and justifications of having true beliefs adds to the existence and the manifestation of the metaphysical realm of freedom.
To become “free” one must understand what being “free” means? The sense of being “free” is having knowledge or a particular skill that can never be taken from an individual once that knowledge is committed to memory, therefore, using one’s knowledge or skill in a meaningful way to push oneself forward is what causes them to achieve “freedom.” Also, another aspect of being “free” is moving pass limitations that restrains one from realizing their ambitions. Memorizing something for the moment, for instance, the answer to a question, a series of numbers, or a particular co-workers name so one can tell them happy birthday doesn’t contribute to granting that individual “true freedom.” Likewise, doing something that doesn’t line up with an individual’s ambition could cause them “imprisonment” rather than “freedom.”