All This Talk About Freedom

"Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
(Star Spangled Banner-Francis Scott Key)

Okay, so...one of the biggest defining factors of America that people take pride in is the concept of freedom. You see it everywhere. It's constantly worked into politics, and in fact both McCain and Obama brought it up during their presidential acceptance speeches. However when it comes down to it, distinguishing what exactly "freedom" means is a little tricky. I mean honestly, What exactly is freedom? In our bill of rights, all of the legal freedoms as a citizen of the United States are explained (freedom of speech, press, assembly, etc.), so, is that it? I feel that the notion of freedom is something much bigger then that. Everyone has their own definition of freedom. The Puritans believed that it meant getting rid of corruption (The American Dream, Jim Cullen), and their goal in life was, in essence, to achieve just that. They wanted to create a "city on a hill", a pure and holy civilization free from corruption to be an example for all civilizations to follow.

Now, typically I don't relate too much with the Puritans, however in this situation i'd have to agree with them. Once again though, it is all relative. While I would also say that freedom means getting rid of corruption, I believe it's also save to say that Hetty Shepard and I probably have different definitions of corruption as well. Afterall, I don't ordinarily rack my with guilt every time I smile at a boy in church or question my society. But I do believe that the United States' Bill of Rights is full of ammendments which help us escape corruption from many sources (censorship, stifling the public opinion, racial/gender/religious inequalities, etc.). In doing so, it helps us to maintain what we as Americans hold so dear, our freedom; however we may choose to define it.