"Where liberty is, there is my country" (ThinkExist.com). These words, spoken by the great American Benjamin Franklin, encompass the ideal that the United States of America represents. Our nation, under God, epitomizes the idea of liberty, causing us to be a beacon of light and hope to others throughout the world. Being a fundamental right in the foundation of our country, the presence of liberty is prevalent throughout America's history, manifesting itself in events and documents such as the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, and the United States Constitution. These pieces of American history portray the significance of liberty in forging America into the nation it is today.
"Give me Liberty or give me Death!" Patrick Henry's words resound through St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia. It is March 23, 1775 and the Virginia House of Burgesses is attempting to secure a decision on whether or not to deliver Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. Henry's words proved to hold great influence that day, and as a result, many throughout the colonies acquired a heightened sense of fervor and purpose in fighting the war. It is no coincidence that the word "Liberty" should hold such weight in a war of independence. The American Revolution, taking place between the years 1775 and 1783, was the culmination of animosity between the American colonists and the mother country, Great Britain. In the preceding war years, Great Britain had provoked feelings of rebellion within the colonists, with such measures as the Stamp Act, the Townshend Act, the Tea Act, and the Intolerable Acts. These various acts placed taxes upon items such as stamps, paper, glass, tea, and in some instances even required colonists to house British soldiers (Boyer 149). Encroaching upon their personal liberties, the colonists began to call into question their relationship with Great Britain. This questioning yielded rebellion, which in turn culminated into war. Striving for liberty and justice, colonists across the country took up arms against their mother country and with Henry's words in mind, fought valiantly for independence.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Bailey 152). On July 4, 1776, these words shook the country, adding a new dimension to the American Revolution. With a formal Declaration of Independence, the American colonists officially estranged themselves from Great Britain. The writing of the declaration first found its roots in the Virginia Convention on May 15, 1776. On this day, the Convention passed a resolve instructing Virginia's congressional delegation "to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent States, absolved from all allegiance to, or dependence upon, the Crown or Parliament of Great Britain." On June 11, 1776, a Committee of Five, of which consisted John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, was appointed to draft a declaration. By July 1st of that year, they had completed the document, placing it under debate in Congress. The next day, the resolution of independence was adopted with twelve affirmations to one abstention. As a fundamental basis of the American Revolution, liberty holds great significance in the Declaration of Independence as well. The deliberate inclusion of liberty as an unalienable right depicts its importance in American independence. Without liberty, a country is neither free nor independent; a truth that is held to be "self-evident".
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America" (Blum A4). The Constitution of the United States of America, the supreme law of our country, provides the framework upon which the United States Government operates. Replacing the obsolete and ineffective Articles of Confederation, the Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787 by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, it was not completely ratified until Rhode Island granted its approval on May 29, 1790 (Blum 146). As the fundamental basis of the United States, the Constitution defines the three main branches of government: the legislative branch consisting of a bicameral Congress; the executive branch, headed by the President; and the judicial branch, led by the Supreme Court. The document goes on further to define the powers each branch may exercise. This three branch system was established to provide checks and balances within the government, in order to prevent one branch from acquiring too much power. Furthermore, in a list of amendments to the Constitution, various rights are ensured to people of the United States. Among these are the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of press. The ideal of liberty permeates throughout this document. As a deep-seated freedom in the United States, the influential role of liberty in the drafting of the Constitution is no surprise. By providing a governmental framework and enumerating various rights to the United States people, the Constitution serves to "secure the Blessings of Liberty" throughout the country.
"Liberty is to the collective body, what health is to every individual body. Without health no pleasure can be tasted by man; without liberty, no happiness can be enjoyed by society" (ThinkExist.com). Thomas Jefferson's words exemplify the essentiality of liberty in any aspect of life. Without the achievement of liberty, happiness itself cannot be truly acquired. Throughout the alcoves of American history; be it on the battlefields of Saratoga, behind the doors of Congress, or within the halls of the Philadelphia Convention, liberty has resounded, granting us pride in our past, security in our present, and hope for our future.
Bailey, Thomas A. The American Spirit. Toronto: Thomas A. Bailey and Trinity Partners, 1994.
Blum, John M. The National Experience. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1993.
Boyer, Paul S. The Enduring Vision. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004
TheAmericanRevolution.org. The American Revolution. 16 Nov 2008
ThinkExist.com Quotations. ThinkExist. 16 Nov 2008