Definition Of American Freedom

Freedom is defined as the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement. It is the power to determine action without restraint and the exemption from external control, interference, and regulation. Americans, these days, commonly regard their society as the freest and the best in the world. Their understanding of freedom has been shaped and based upon the founding fathers’ belief that all people are equal and that the role of the government is to protect each person’s basic “inalienable” rights. The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights assures individual rights including freedom of speech, press, and religion. America has changed dramatically from the country our founding fathers discovered. Some could even argue that

Considering economic policies and the balance of power between national and local government, how did Whigs and Democrats differ in their definitions of American freedom and its relationship to government authority?

The Declaration of Independence states “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” to explain that a ruler, such as a tyrant, that would not bring what is morally right or fair to the people, does not grant justice to those living in that country. This helps us understand that part of the reason why The Declaration of Independence was created was to dispose of this cruel rule in America. The effort the founding fathers went through to make sure there was justice for the people represents as an example to how justice for all defines what it means to be an American. Moreover, it is stated in The Federalist Papers that “The vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty; that, in the contemplation of a sound and well-informed judgment, their interest can never be separated;” to show how a strong government is important to securing the nation's liberty. Having a certain security on the nation’s liberty shows how important it was for the federalist to make sure justice was brought to the nation. According to the Bill of Rights, “rights that are unmentioned in The Bill of Rights are retained by the people, which gives people the freedom that is necessary” to show that the government won’t take away any unnecessary freedoms, thereby giving the people justice as a country (Hilp). According to The Federalist Papers, The Bill of

The unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are mentioned in the Declaration as concepts that all humans possess from their creator. Our central focus of liberty is what makes this country so unique. “I believe in a system of government that places liberty at the center of its concerns.” (Doc B). The reason it is so impactful that liberty is our main fixation is because it gives all citizens the right maintain their own lives and achieve their own goals.

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” as stated in the Constitution as well as stated by the philosopher John Locke, is the basis for the United States of America as we know it today. The notion that all humans were created equal and that all people are entitled to basic human rights came from the various experiences the colonists faced through the Revolution, which was a vital influence in the creation of the Constitution. The revolution was a key turning point in American history, it was when the American colonies rejected the ideals of the British and battled for their independence.

In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson expresses unalienable rights as a ideal for the US government. It has been argued on National Public Radio that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are essential to America’s government(Doc B). Citizens need to be able to depend on unalienable rights without doubt that the government can take them away because they are rights citizens are born with. Sullivan believed the government should “place(s) liberty at the center of its concerns” in order to give the people the rights they deserve. This shows that unalienable rights are very important to the U.S. government in order to give the people the rights they deserve; however, it is not the most important one to the American society.

On July 4th, 1776 the Continental congress declared freedom by adopting a document named “the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America” (traditions and encounters). This document included 4 parts including why the thirteen colonies were separating from the British Empire. The most important part of this document was the justification of the rights of American citizens. It declared that “men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain and unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (traditions and encounters). This quote still rings true with Americans to this day.

All around the world people talk about freedom; America has more freedom than Russia, twenty-one years old as more freedom than a fifteen year old. What does “freedom” mean? Many have different definitions of “freedom”. For some it could be the freedom to speak and act as you want and others it could be to go where ever you want.

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” is a phrase nearly every American knows as being the three unalienable rights that cannot be revoked by the government. These self-evident truths first appeared in the Declaration of Independence, a document written to rid the United States from its torrid oppressors. Liberty, however, is the most important of the three, seeing as if American did not have it, residents would simply be slaves to their government and could not be truly free-thinking citizens.

Many ideas are important within the American culture, but to the American sense of patriotism, freedom is most fundamental. The idea of freedom is central to the American politics – which is at times referred to as liberty. Since the birth of the nation, freedom has been the vocabulary of the American language and its importance cannot be underestimated. The Declaration of Independence, for instance, ranks liberty as an inalienable right. On the other hand, the Constitution reckons that it purposes to protect civilians’ liberty. The importance of freedom has even stretched further than the political arena and has prompted the birth of civil rights movements and other activist protests. The Cold War and the Civil War were all for the cause of freedom. The importance that Americans attach to freedom can also be demonstrated from the erection of statues, banishment of slavery, use of liberty poles and a right to vote for adults. For many years, women and the African Americans have for a long time fought against denial and infringement of their freedom . However, given the importance that Americans affiliate to freedom in the conceptualization of their country, it has been the subject of modifications over the course of years especially before the Revolutionary War.

The constitution of the United States of America gives me the right to freedom because I am a United States citizen. I consider "freedom" to be my right to express myself in any way I choose. Freedom is defined as "having liberty of action or thought, independent". "Self-governed or not controlled by an outside party" is another definition of freedom. Freedom has a different meaning to each individual thus making it hard to find a clear concise definition.

Freedom means living life as one wants, everything else is a form of slavery. If a person is not allowed to make his or hers decisions, if he or she is not free to live life as he/she wants than he/she doesn’t have power over his or her existence. If freedom was not essential for every human being than no one would have found so fiercely for it. If it was not important than today we would not be still fighting to keep and extend our freedom.

A concept of freedom (or liberty) has been the foundation of the United States since its founding in 1776. After all, its Declaration of Independence states that every citizen deserves the rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. However, “Liberty” doesn’t just mean a literal freedom from captivity, or the right to live independently from the rule of a monarch. The Constitution preserves multiple different types of Liberty, including the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and many more.

Freedom has a large range of meaning. The encyclopedia Britannica defines freedom as “the quality or state of being free, and the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action” (Britannica). In the American society there is a lot of emphasis on freedom, and the right to be free, but one must question to what extent we are truly “free”.

“We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Thomas Jefferson). When America was granted their freedom no one thought that it would become the country it is today. However without the smart thinking of our forefathers we would never be the nation we are today. As a newly formed nation Thomas Jefferson advertised relocation to America via the declaration which stated America promised three important things, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those three promises have always remained true as America progressed and the