From the Declaration of 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.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Educate and inform the whole mass of the people…
They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
~Thomas Jefferson~
Liberty is among our unalienable rights. The Creator who gives us life, has also given us liberty to make our own choices and act as we decide is best as we pursue our happiness.
Does that mean we will all find the happiness that we desire or never experience unhappiness ?
No, but we get to make those choices and the result of our choices is what we get.
However, there are also bounds to our liberty. God expressed these bounds in the Torah (the first 5 books of the old testament). The beginning of the commandments of God relating to our relationships with other human beings prohibits murder, adultery, theft, bearing false witness, and coveting the possessions of others. (See Exodus 20)
Thomas Jefferson expressed this well when he said ,
“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.”
Noah Webster in his dictionary of 1828, gives several definitions of liberty.
The first is,
Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind.
The body is at liberty, when not confined ;
the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled.
A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions.
This is liberty where there are absolutely no bounds or constraints on any thought, decision or action.
The second definition is,
Natural liberty, consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control,
except from the laws of nature.
It is a state of exemption from the control of others, and from positive laws and the institutions of social life.
This liberty is abridged by the establishment of government.
Natural liberty is the liberty God has given to us as creatures of free will living within the limitations of physical laws of the creation in which we reside.
And the third definition addresses civil liberty,
Civil liberty, is the liberty of men in a state of society,
or natural liberty, so far only abridged and restrained, as is necessary and expedient for the safety and interest of the society, state or nation.
A restraint of natural liberty, not necessary or expedient for the public, is tyranny or oppression.
Civil liberty is an exemption from the arbitrary will of others, which exemption is secured by established laws, which restrain every man from injuring or controlling another.
Hence the restraints of law are essential to civil liberty.
Our civil liberty is natural liberty restrained by laws only as necessary and expedient to safeguard society. The purpose is to avoid the exercise of liberty by one from adversely affecting the exercise of the rights and liberties of others.
Now referring back to the last line quoted from Declaration of Independence, it states,
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Under the U.S. Constitution, our government was instituted by the People. The Preamble defines the purposes it was intended to serve:
– to form a more perfect union
– to establish Justice
– to insure domestic tranquility
– to provide for the common defence
– to promote the general Welfare
– to secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity
Let’s discuss that last one- “to secure the blessings of Liberty”.
From Webster’s Dictionary of 1828:
Secure – To make certain ; to put beyond hazard.
Blessing – Any means of happiness ; a gift, benefit or advantage ; that which promotes temporal prosperity and welfare, or secures immortal felicity.
So a purpose of the structure of our constitutionally defined government includes securing (making certain, putting beyond hazard) the blessings (benefits, advantages, temporal prosperity and welfare) obtained through our Liberty, not only for ourselves but for those who inherit this land.
Now back to these words from the definition of Civil Liberty-
A restraint of natural liberty, not necessary or expedient for the public, is tyranny or oppression.
Civil liberty is an exemption from the arbitrary will of others, which exemption is secured by established laws, which restrain every man from injuring or controlling another.
Hence the restraints of law are essential to civil liberty.
The restraints of law are essential to restrain each of us from injuring or controlling others,
but restraints that are NOT necessary or expedient are tyranny or oppression.
It is our duty to make make sure that the laws of this nation are held to that standard.
The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.
~Thomas Jefferson~