Gift of Freedom

... not the woman you fell in love with; she was given to you to marry. Again, you feel like there is no meaning to life. You don’t have the ability to make choices for yourself, it’s already made for you. Sometimes we don’t realize what we have until we’ve lost it. Freedom is one of those things that a lot of people take for granted.

What is freedom? According to Webster’s Dictionary freedom is: The condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints; or immunity from an obligation or duty. What this means is that we have the ability to proceed in the manner of our choice without constraint. I think there’s more to that though. I think the meaning of freedom is similar to the meaning of opportunity. We have the opportunity to get the education we want, to have the career of our choice and living in a way that makes us happy. It is our job as American citizens to know what freedoms we have, why we are free, and the responsibilities that come with our freedoms.

What freedoms do we have? In the first Amendment to the Constitution it states:

“Congress must not interfere with freedom of religion, speech or press, assembly, and petition.” We have the right to belong to any religion we want, say what we want in the newspapers and, join the groups we want. We have many other freedoms that are just important that you don’t even think about. Even being able to go to school is a freedom. We have the privilege to get a driver’s license and be able to drive our o vehicles. My dad says, “I have the freedom to go which ever grocery store I want, to buy the food I want. I can go to whichever doctor I want to go to. I have the right to go to the library and read whatever I want to read, and no one has the authority to tell me I can’t read about certain things.” There are so many opportunities in this country and we don’t even realize it.

There are a lot of people who do everything they can to get freedom. During the late 20 century a group called the Freedom Riders was seeking racial freedom. While riding busses they would spread out across the states to end segregation. They were doing everything they could to get equality (Kennedy 923-924). People like the Freedom Riders should be examples to us now, showing us how important freedom is.

Why are we free? Men have died for us to be free. People traveled 3,000 miles to be free, and then they fought in the American Revolution. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia said, “These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states. . .“ (Kennedy 146). These early colonists were willing to give their lives for freedom. That is why we are free, because people were willing to sacrifice.

We are given laws and rights to obey. You may not think this is a freedom, but these laws protect us so that we can become freer. “ ... with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1789 and the accompanying Bill of Rights in 1791, press freedom and freedom of speech received explicit legal protection” (House 121). An example would be that we have traffic laws so that when we obey those laws they protect us; we are free from harm because we followed the laws.

What responsibilities do we have because we are free? One responsibility is to enforce laws and follow them. As they say: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” (Fellowship).

Another responsibility is to vote. Voting commonly implies election. A vote is an individual’s act of voting, where they are expressing support or preference for a certain motion (Wikipedia). I think another important responsibility for American citizens is to express what freedom means to us and our appreciation for our freedom. I have interviewed a few people about what freedom means to them. Anna says, “Freedom is power. It is using that power to act in my religion which is the most important thing to me; and being able to reach for higher goals.” Roy said that freedom meant to him: “Being responsible to vote, and to participate in your community. It means a lot more than just enjoying the ability to say and do what you like, otherwise you risk losing those freedoms.” During another interview I got this response: “Freedom is power to choose to say or do what you want to do. To have freedom you have to make the right choices, and not making stupid ones.” Whitney stated: “If someone took away my freedom, I would be losing the right to do what I want, my choices and making my own decisions.” My last interview was with Preston. This is what he had to say, “Freedom is the description of what every human is entitled to. It is the choice and restraint on actions. It opens the door to allow men to do good, but to ensure freedom are the laws set up to ensure and protect a man’s life, liberty, property so that he may enjoy them with no fear.” Most of the people I interviewed admitted that they really hadn’t thought about what it really meant to be free and what freedoms they had. I think if we all took a small portion of our lives to reflect on what freedom means to us individually, it would open so many people’s eyes.

Works Cited

Constitution of the United States of America

Fellowship, Family Gardian. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CITIZENS IN A FREE REPUBLIC 25 February 2010.

House, Freedom. Today’s America: how free Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2008.

Kennedy, David M., Cohen, Lizabeth, and Bailey, Thomas A. The American Pagent Vol. 12. Boston:

Houghton Muffin Company, 2002.

“Wikipedia.” Voting Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 23 February 2010.

Our Foundation — The Constitution by Braden Youngberg

The Constitution is the foundation of all the laws in the United States and defines the freedoms guaranteed to every citizen. I can become what I want in the future because of the freedoms it grants me. In my future, my plans are to go on a mission for my church, attend B.Y.U., move to Tennessee and become a country singer. The Constitution guarantees all citizens a voice to say what they want and to vote for their leaders and laws.

Freedom, however, is not free. We are only as free as our choices reflect. Many people have died to acquire these freedoms and it is our responsibility to keep them. Freedom gets taken away as more laws are broken because new laws are made to enforce good behavior. Listen to this quote by Benjamin Franidin, one of the U.S. Founding Fathers, “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As the nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters” (Brezenski, 2009). Many citizens don’t use freedom responsibly and take it for granted. Some think we will always have freedom and that it is someone else’s responsibility to keep it safe. Many citizens don’t vote or even know what they’re voting for. It is our responsibility as citizens of the United States to take a more active role in understanding the laws of our country and government so we can make informed moral decisions.

It is the responsibility of all citizens to protect our freedoms. As citizens, we can do this by keeping the laws, by teaching respect for our country, laws, and people, and by exercising moral discipline in making right choices even when it is hard. Thomas Jefferson, the 3 president and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States, quotes, “Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction” (Stormer, 1964). Using force, such as our military, to protect our freedoms should be our last line of defense.

Many freedoms have been changed to improve the lives of Americans through Constitutional amendments. Some of the ones I like are summarized as follows: 1 amendment - discusses individual freedoms that include freedom of press, religion, speech, and the right to take protest to Congress.

2nd amendment — discusses how gun ownership is used to preserve citizen militia.

6th amendment - discusses the right of every U.S. citizen to have a fair trial which grants that an individual is “innocent until proven guilty”.

The Constitution has more impact on U.S. citizens than any other government document. I’m grateful for those who have sacrificed their lives to obtain these freedoms for me. I feel a great responsibility to protect the freedoms I have been given and hope that as citizens of the United States of America we can all show more gratitude for these freedoms by taking an active role in protecting them.

Bibliography

Brezenski, S. (2009). Little People Little Patriots: Saving America One Child at a Time.

Bloomington: Author Solutions.

Finkelman, P. (2006). American Documents: The Constitution. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society.

Stormer, J. A. (1964). None Dare Call it Treason. Florrissant: Liberty Bell Press.

Travis, C. (2006). Constitution: Translated for Kids, 3rd Edition. Austin: Synergy Books.

Youngberg, J. &. (2010). (B. Youngberg, Interviewer)

“We strive to promote liberty by encouraging faith in God, promoting family values and by supporting and publicizing principles of the Constitution of the United States of America”