Liberty In American History Essay

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Liberty is defined as the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views .The concept of liberty has affected American politics both domestically and internationally. This idea is essential to the documents that created the American republic. The Declaration of Independence lists liberty as one of man’s inalienable rights. The Constitution’s purpose is to secure the liberties of individuals with written law. The Bill of Rights was added to the constitution to protect rights of citizens The issue of which citizens to be protected by the Bill of Rights has caused controversy since 39 founding fathers put pen to paper. Throughout, American history this valuable …show more content…
How does “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.” result in almost a century of slavery, displacement of Native Americans, and denying huge portions of population rights. Simply, the concept liberty has benefited those at the top before it benefited the majority. Africans were imported into the nation and were treated as property, long before they were considered equal. After the abolitionist movement was successful, African Americans were finally considered free from the restrictions of slavery. However, 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, blacks still lived in a segregated and unequal world. Jim Crow laws infringed on their unalienable rights, the same rights that thousands of people lost their lives fighting for just decades before. . Precedents like “separate but equal” were passed down from the same federal government created to protect rights of its citizens. For decades afterwards, the Civil Rights Movement pushed and fought for the same rights as their white counterparts. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks devoted their lives idea of liberty and equality for

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