. (2024) '244 Freedom Essay Topics & Examples'. 18 November.
Freedom has its enemies. Feliks Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet secret police, the Cheka, wrote, “The fact that you are free is not your achievement, but rather a failure on our side.” Charles Peguy, French political philosopher, wrote, “Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.” Is that because freedom has elements of chaos, randomness, and entropy?
Sometimes at the Field of Honor you will see a family standing close to a flag with tears in their eyes. I’m sure they are thinking of a loved one that gave their life. I am filled with gratitude for these men and women who have given their lives for me and my freedom. It just humbles me that these people who don’t even know me fought for my freedom!
I can’t help but think of the fight for freedom that so many have given for our country as we celebrate the Fourth of July. There are many in our country that continue our fight for freedom. There are always more men and women who are willing to step up and serve their country. We are blessed to have those who love their country to give themselves to service, and we should be grateful to them.
The fight for freedom entails dedication, loyalty, and service. It requires training and work. These men and women who decide to serve know freedom isn’t free. They are aware that there is a cost to fighting for freedom. They know they may be thrown into a place where political unrest, skirmishes, and war are possibilities.
Sadly, this guess was proven correct immediately, when three civil rights workers – James Chaney (21 years old), an African American from Mississippi, and Michael Schwerner (24) and Andrew Goodman (20), both Jews from New York – went missing on their first day in Mississippi in June while investigating the burning of a black church. (Michael Schwerner, with his wife, Rita, had actually spent the previous six months organizing in Mississppi with CORE and had just returned to the South with the first cohort of Freedom Summer volunteers). The bodies of the three men – beaten, shot, and buried in a dam – were found six weeks later. (The search had also uncovered the bodies of seven black men whose disappearance had not garnered any national attention.) Mississippi officials refused to prosecute the suspected killers for murder, so the US Department of Justice brought a case against 18 men, including the Sheriff Laurence Rainey and Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price, on the charge of depriving the three men of their civil rights (by killing them). Seven men were found guilty but served relatively short sentences. Edgar Ray Killen, who had planned and directed the murders, was acquitted in the 1967 case but was finally convicted of three counts of manslaughter in 2005.
Freedom Essay For Students and Children - 500+ Words Essay
In addition to the daily intimidation and fears of violence, Freedom Summer volunteers also experienced interpersonal tensions. White volunteers – many of whom had never before had direct contact with African American communities – were not always aware of their own privilege, sense of entitlement, and in some cases, ingrained racist assumptions. Some white activists found the cultural differences they encountered surprisingly challenging and had trouble communicating with local African Americans in the communities in which they worked. With the volunteers working together so many hours each day and often living in close quarters, sexual relationships inevitably developed, and these relationships brought out further racial tensions – especially among black men and white women, who sometimes felt as if they were being used by the other to prove either sexual prowess or their racial politics, and black women and white women, who sometimes competed over the attention of black men. These relationships were further intensified by the danger of white women and black men working together; the mere fact of a white woman in the company of a black man could get one or both of them killed. Tensions around gender roles also arose, as some women wondered why, in a movement committed to equality, they were so often relegated to the housekeeping and administrative tasks and excluded from leadership roles.
You might think that the meaning of ‘freedom’ is straightforward: at an individual level it means not being imprisoned. If I'm imprisoned then, obviously, I'm not free. I can't choose to go out for a stroll, eat a pizza, go to the cinema, and so on. But on the other hand, even as a prisoner, I am likely to be free in many respects. I am free to think about whatever I want to think about. In all but the cruellest prison regimes I will be free to pace around my cell, do a few push-ups or stare blankly at the wall; I'll also be free to write a letter to my family, perhaps even to study for an Open University degree, and so on. However, this may be a sentimental view of what prison life is actually like for most prisoners. Several of the activities I have described, particularly studying, require a certain amount of concentration. For most of us concentration requires relative quiet. Here is one prisoner's account of trying to study for an Open University course:
The arguments we'll be examining are arguments for political or social freedom: the freedom of the individual in relation to other people and to the state. The aim is to explain and unravel some arguments for this kind of freedom. In the process we'll be examining some of the classic philosophical defences of particular types of freedom. The stress will always be on the arguments used rather than on the detailed historical context in which the views were originally expressed. Many of the central arguments transfer readily to the contemporary situation, if you make appropriate changes. They contribute to the pressing debates about the limits of individual freedom that affect us today.
For a nation, ‘freedom’ may mean not being occupied. France during most of the Second World War was not a free country in this sense as it was occupied by the Nazis or controlled by the Vichy government. The Resistance saw themselves as freedom fighters, risking their lives to liberate France. Their aim was quite simply a free France, which meant a France which was free from Nazi occupation. Yet when France was liberated it did not miraculously become free in every respect; nor were the French completely constrained in what they could do while the Nazis were in occupation.
Freedom Essay For Students and Children - 500+ Words Essay
What are the limits of individual freedom in a civilised society? Should we tolerate unlimited freedom of speech, no matter how offensive the views expressed? Can the state ever be justified in interfering with what consenting adults choose to do in private? When, if ever, is coercion acceptable? Are all laws obstacles to freedom, or are they the very condition of achieving it? Should we sometimes force people to be free, or is that a contradiction in terms? These are serious questions. They're not merely abstract puzzles for philosophers to ponder in comfortable armchairs. They are the sorts of issues that people are prepared to die for.
Freedom Essay for Students and Children | 500+ Words Essay
Freedom, an intrinsic aspect of human existence, is the cornerstone of societal progress and individual fulfillment. Defined as the ability to act, think, and express oneself without constraint or coercion, freedom encapsulates humanity’s aspiration for autonomy and self-determination. Pursuing freedom has shaped revolutions, influenced ideologies, and ignited social movements throughout history. In this essay, we delve into the multifaceted dimensions of freedom, exploring its historical significance, theoretical frameworks, contemporary challenges, and future implications. By unraveling the complexities of freedom, we aim to understand its enduring importance in shaping the course of human civilization.
2024 American Freedom Essay Contest
There are millions of people around the world living under conditions where their governments withhold fundamental human freedoms. Some are unable to practice the religion they hold dear, and others live in constant fear for their lives. Despite the myriad restrictions citizens of various countries face, no one should be compelled into silence. To "be free" means that everyone possesses the inherent right to raise their voices and act according to their beliefs. This essay explores the crucial role of […]
What Freedom Means to Me Essay Selected in Local Contest
A Party Member lives from birth to death under the eye of the Thought Police. Even when he is alone he can never be sure that he is alone. Wherever he may be, asleep or awake, working or resting, in his bath or in bed, he can be inspected without warning and without knowing that he is being inspected. Nothing that he does is indifferent. His friendships, his relaxations, his behaviour towards his wife and children, the expression of his face when he is alone, the words he mutters in sleep, even the characteristic movements of his body, are all jealously scrutinised. Not only any actual misdemeanour, but any eccentricity, however small, any change of habits, any nervous mannerism that could possibly be the symptom of an inner struggle, is certain to be detected. He has no freedom of choice in any direction whatever.