Freedom In American Literature

There are many ways one could establish and preserve freedom but the two most effective ways are through reading and writing, including speeches that are written. This unit included many stories that gave proof of how freedom should be preserved and the three that best depict the image are America’s Constitution: A Biography, The Pedestrian, and Speech in the Convention. This country has kept and used the Constitution for over 200 years with changes made that were needed to meet the needs of a continuously changing nation. The Constitution would be the answer for “uniting previously independent states into a vast and indivisible nation,” which would contain a kind of freedom unknown to mankind that would stay in place for generations to

The Bill of Rights was a document written in 1789 where the first congress of the United States gathered to propose twelve amendments to The Constitution. Over one hundred and fifty years later, President Roosevelt delivered the “Four Freedoms Speech.” Two important pieces of American History, though different in time and purpose, share a few major similarities. One of the four freedoms described in Roosevelt’s speech dictate every American’s freedom of speech and press. Article three of The Bill of Rights also states that every American has the freedom of speech and press as well as the freedom to worship the god of their choosing (by preventing congress from legislating any laws respecting religion). The second freedom in the “Four Freedoms”

Even in the early stages of American history there was an urge to put legally protected freedoms into written government documents. The result was the drafting of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, by James Madison. The applications of the personal freedoms described in the Bill of Rights, particularly the freedom of speech, have been challenged repeatedly in American courts of law and elsewhere. These incidents and challenges of authority reflect the defensive American attitude toward the ever-important freedom of expression and the growing significance of personal rights throughout American history.

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.

When the Bill of Rights was established, it was to ensure civil freedoms to all. Little by little these days, all of these rights are now gaining more and more stipulations that are restricting our rights as Americans. Due to the unrest of the world from all of the terrorism, it appears that our right to freedom of speech (Amendment I) and the right of the people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures is diminishing rapidly.

The First Amendment of the constitution is the most significant political statement in the history of the United States. The ability to speak freely is a value that is cherished by most American citizens. In many countries around the world, people are sent to prison, or even executed, for expressing opinions not shared by the government. In the United States, any government official, no matter how powerful, must abide by the opinions of the people, even when those opinions are brutal, or even unfair. Free speech is probably the best known and most revered of our constitutional rights in the U.S., but it not always easy to define what exactly is speech. As humans, we have many ways of expressing our thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. Especially, since we are part of an innovative society that is constantly evolving.

To American’s freedom means many different things depending on who you are, due to the fact that everyone has their own opinions. To American’s, freedom could mean having the right to do things that they want to do with rules or as the Webster Dictionary states it “ the quality or state of being free;...”. I believe that the Preamble to the Constitution is the statement that provides the most driving representation of America today because it talks about “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility…”, with the way the world is today I feel we need more of these things.

Given these points, what is your definition of “freedom?” Even if it means protesting against a war, or expressing your true feelings, every voice counts. As for the First Amendment, it was established to protect your civil rights, exclude the sentiment of fear & incorporate the act of gallantry, assert yourself, there’s no limit to what a person could do. Just as John & Mary Tinker made history

Simply, the rights alluded to in the Declaration of Independence became the Bill of Rights. Freedoms such as the ability to peacefully assemble, to speak freely or to freely follow any religion are expressions of liberty. Today, these unalienable rights are discussed and are being questioned due to the perceived misuse of them, for example, the rise of volatile or extreme political alignments.

There are lots of freedoms in America, some of which are freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly, all of which guaranteed by the first amendment. First I will go over freedom of speech. Freedom of speech sums up lots of things, those three

The notion of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights in the United States have their origins before the creation of the country in the writings of the Enlightenment, which was the dominant cultural movement in the years leading up and shortly after the founding of the country. First laid down on paper by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, the proclamation “all men are created equal” and are “endowed by their creator with certain, unalienable Rights, that amongst these are Life,Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” became the de facto summary of what the Revolutionary War was being fought for. Indeed what became known as the spirit of 76 was largely a result of the colonist 's early endeavor to reach these grand ideals. Still with the brittleness of the political system created by the Articles of Confederation, a more realistic and pragmatic mindset replaced the previous ideals, resulting in the Constitution of 1787. The outline of government that emerged was a far more stable and centralized system which was designed to protect and ensure certain rights of the people by limiting or restricting liberties which would be detrimental for the common good.

For generations, we as a society have evaluated what we call our freedoms, as they constantly continue to influence our quality of life. In the 1940s, President Franklin Roosevelt's Message to Congress promised the people of America Four Freedoms, or freedoms that are imperative to human life. These freedoms included freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Freedom of speech goes back to the first amendment where there is the liberty of expression. Freedom of worship allows people to practice any belief system they desire, as well as worship the God that they please. Freedom from want meant no citizen should have to yearn for the basic needs to survive, and should be provided with a standard living. Finally, freedom from fear meant for there to be no fear of having to use aggression against a neighbor, in addition to being granted peace and a sense of security. These were the guaranteed freedoms stated by the president for the future. However, as time progressed and certain events in history began occurring, these freedoms may have slipped from view and become less practiced. It is clear to see that the United States government did not effectively uphold these freedoms during, the time the U.S declared war against the Japanese, during the scare of Communism, and in the day to day life for citizens in minority groups.

When we say liberty we mean freedom. Some of our freedoms our: freedom of speech, freedom of education, and freedom of religion.

In the past the founders of the US believed that the people should be given individual rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and freedom from unreasonable searches. Many communities believe that an individual that has too much freedom

As our Founding Fathers stated in the First Amendment in the Constitution of the United States, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances," (qtd. in Marcovitz 22). Were they alive today, our Founding Fathers would be greatly appreciative of the changes made to the Constitution as the prospective and needs of our nation evolved over the last several decades. Freedom is the idea of being able to act, speak, or think without rule or restriction; which is not the reality of many countries today and also for women and slaves many years ago in the United States.