Freedom is an extremely important aspect of American culture, history, and identity. what makes america great essay that sailed to what would later become the United States of America, came for key reasons, one of which was freedom of religion. The concept of freedom was in one way very important to the people of the United States. Certainly, the concept of freedom in America is fraught with conflict, tension, and paradox. It is common knowledge that the freedoms of one particular group of Americans was increased with the elimination of the freedoms of other groups in the United States. While white males enjoyed the most freedoms, and declared to have build a country heavily predicated on guaranteed freedoms, the freedoms of women, enslaved Africans, and the indigenous tribes of natives who lived in the country for thousands of years did not have many freedoms relative to theirs. As American history persisted, a great deal of the most significant moments stem from the struggle of certain groups for certain freedoms. Though all groups of Americans were not granted or guaranteed rights and freedoms, many Americans have participated in the struggle for freedoms. Content has been created with Essay Writers!
Thus, if certain people who consider themselves Americans do not have the same rights as other Americans, what all Americans have in common is the freedom to fight for additional freedoms that they feel they justifiably need and deserve. The paper will consider how the idea of freedom in America has changed over the course of American history. There is something fundamentally debatable about the concept of freedom as such. What people consider necessary freedoms change over time in some cases. The contexts within which people struggle for and deny freedoms are just as important as the freedoms themselves. Freedom is a complex topic, so complex that it serves as a good example of what philosophers call an essentially contested concept. Particularly because freedom is something we value so highly, there is constant debate over exactly what the word means. These disputes are often politically charged, and they are not likely ever to be completely resolved.
Nor is it possible to ignore the political and historical context in which ideas of freedom developed. 0: Democracy Web -- Comparative Studies in Freedom. 2012. The Idea of Freedom. Freedom is not a new idea and neither is the debate over what it means as well as who gets it. Freedom in America is often associated with politics. Americans enjoy debating their politics as much as they enjoy their freedoms. To threaten the freedom of an American is a very serious gesture, as freedom is directly associated with democracy, and America proclaims to be the greatest example of democracy in existence. When we speak of freedom, we speak of restrictions and limitations indirectly. Thus, since freedom is such a significant topic in American culture, the inequities in areas such as class, education, and ethnicity are implied in the examination in the changes in the idea of American freedom. Democracy Web mentions other topics that are essential to freedom such as constitutionalism, knowing that the United States Constitution is one of the most important documents in United States history which details and specifically outlines the rights and freedoms of American citizens.
Freedom, or more accurately, liberty is an idea that has become inextricably linked to any discussion of American ideas. However, the idea of liberty as a political end in and of itself is a byproduct of the European Enlightenment. When Thomas Jefferson referred to the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness laid out so breathtakingly in the Declaration of Independence, he was embellishing on the philosophy of Englishman John Locke. The very foundations of America are intensely connected to freedom, specifically with regards to freedom of choice, freedom of ownership, and freedom for self-defense. 1: XND Magazine. 2012. American Freedom -- the idea. Early Americans desired the freedom to own property, whether it was land, people, animals, objects, or otherwise. Early Americans additionally valued the freedom to bear arms, which in the 21st century is a highly contested issue. This is what the paper referred to earlier with respect to the definition of freedom and the context in which freedom is fought for or denied.
Freedom is an extremely important aspect of American culture, history, and identity. what makes america great essay that sailed to what would later become the United States of America, came for key reasons, one of which was freedom of religion. The concept of freedom was in one way very important to the people of the United States. Certainly, the concept of freedom in America is fraught with conflict, tension, and paradox. It is common knowledge that the freedoms of one particular group of Americans was increased with the elimination of the freedoms of other groups in the United States. While white males enjoyed the most freedoms, and declared to have build a country heavily predicated on guaranteed freedoms, the freedoms of women, enslaved Africans, and the indigenous tribes of natives who lived in the country for thousands of years did not have many freedoms relative to theirs. As American history persisted, a great deal of the most significant moments stem from the struggle of certain groups for certain freedoms. Though all groups of Americans were not granted or guaranteed rights and freedoms, many Americans have participated in the struggle for freedoms. Content has been created with Essay Writers!