Liberty- Earning the Rights
Liberty, also referred to as freedom, translates to the entitlement/ right of a certain person to chose the manner in which they prefer to act. There are two forms of liberty. There is the individual liberty which gives personal freedom. On the other hand, ‘National Liberty’ refers to the people’s sovereignty is ensured. Traditionally, liberty is used to convey civil or political matters. Modern interpretations shine light on liberty as a concept which connotes a generalized body of rights, such as the right to economic opportunity and education.
RIGHTS AND RESTRAINS
The notion of a perfect community, with complete unrestricted freedom of action makes peaceful human coexistence a myth, even in an Utopian context. Thereby, restrictions on the freedom to act is an inevitability in any community. These codes of actions are recognised in all intents and purposes as the as the basic limitation. In other words, liberty can be redefined aligned to afore mentioned codes as “the right of individuals to act without restraint as long as their actions do not interfere with the equivalent rights of others.” Simply put, its the mere thought of rejecting acts that violate the right of everyone else in the world.
For centuries, since the beginning of forming communities, philosophers and lawmakers have faced the important issue of the nature and extent of the restraints to be imposed on civilians and the selection of the means of enforcing them. As a solution, almost all the discussions and research finally arrived have led them to recognize the importance of the fundamental need for a government, with the understanding that it is necessary to have one person or a group of individuals empowered to impose and enforce whatever restraints seemed necessary. In the resent years, much value has also been placed on the need for laws to define the nature and extent of these restraints.
ANARCHISM
The concept of anarchism is an exception to the theory of forming a ruling body where it refuses or objects the concept of a government. Anarchists are under the impression that the highest attainment of humanity is the freedom of individuals to express themselves, unhindered by any form of repression or control from without intervention.
In theory, trying to create a perfect balance between the right of an individual to act without undue interference and the need of the community to restrain freedom of action is alluring. However, putting it to practical use is very unlikely. Historical recollections reveal that social progress from a state of anarchy, through a period of despotism (a rule by a tyrant) during which liberty was nonexistent or restricted to one privileged group. Yet it has gradually stepped into a state of liberty and a democratic government for people naturally desires to be free.
WIDESPREAD AND ACCEPTANCE OF LIBERTIES
In the distant past, liberty meant only national freedom as slavery was happening and was believed to be a necessity in the social institutions. Liberty was only a privilege of a few which forced several social groups to wrest certain privileges from the sovereigns when the world was still at its Medieval age. These assortment of struggles ultimately resulted in agreements like Magna Carta (Latin, “Great Charter”), a document with the seal of King John of England on June 15, 1215, with several promises to his subjects on how he would govern England.
Whilst the Middle Ages turned into a distant memory, and the Renaissance started to take center stage, the question of intellectual freedom was raised. This challenged the already established and accepted dogma of the Catholic church and later it began to further promoted ideas of religious freedom and freedom of conscience.
REVOLUTIONS
Throughout the history pages, amongst the plethora of struggles etched through the course of time, three crucial struggles remain etched at the forefront of many recollections for it helped to define freedom struggles and to ensure its preservation.
The 17th century is highly relevant to the discussion, as it is the era which facilitates the “Glorious Revolution” which England had to face. This was the result of several hundred years of gradual imposition of judicial and legislative restraints upon the monarchy. As a solution, the British parliament drafted the English Bill of Rights in 1689, establishing a representative government system in England.
America was struck with the American Revolution, which surged in 1776. This revolution dictates the fight for individual liberty with those of creating a new state. The revolution also reflected the long-term freedom struggles that took place in England. And just as England, the American Revolution was able to lay the foundation for a proper ruling with the U.S. Constitution. In its first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, the Constitution established guarantees of civil rights.
France had its own share of struggles on its plate, and the French Revolution which started in 1789 stands a tad above the rest. This is because of the destruction of the much disdained Feudal system practiced during the time and then establish a representative government. The leaders of the French Revolution believed that liberty was a natural privilege of the man with the right to act without interference from any source. However, they agreed on the fact that there should be limitations to this freedom with voluntary submissions so it could be enjoyed by the whole social organization. This theory was challenging to the divine right of kings to rule as the new theory believed that the source of all governmental power was the people. French Revolution became the influence of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which served as a model for most of the declarations of liberty adopted by European states in the 19th century.
LIBERTY IN THE MODERN WORLD
Once the revolutions have passed, and the dust have settled, the clear issue that concerns the national liberty is to achieve the state of economic, political and cultural stability and to achieve full sovereignty within a country. With respect to individual liberty, the freedom struggles aim to preserve and extend civil rights, such as freedom of speech, voting and education.
As the nations grew in size and social complexity, the authorities must make sure that their citizens are enjoying their rights equally while looking into ways to prevent or minimize individuals and groups exploiting their liberties unnecessarily.