Liberty And The American Revolution Essay

Liberty
From the Age of Exploration to the Revolutionary period, many factors shaped the connotation of the word liberty. Liberty is defined as, “the quality or state of being free” (Merriam-Webster). This means religious freedoms, political freedoms, social freedoms, and many freedoms we may not think of on a daily basis. Throughout history, the word liberty has developed into a word with a positive connotation as well as a word used to describe the freedom we have today. The idea of liberty developed because of, religious persecutions, restrictions, and maltreatment during the fifteenth century through the seventeenth century.
Maltreatment was very common before the revolution. The treatment of slaves played a role in creating a sociality built on the “want” and “need” of liberty. During the time of slavery, “black slaves (totaled) 25 percent of the population

One major restriction was not everyone was able to vote. Political positions were voted on by rich white males. The laws establishing whether or not you could vote were lowered after 1776 and “any male taxpayer could vote.” (Shi, Tindall, 174). This was a major freedom that the colonists gained and which furthermore created a sense of what liberty was and how it felt to be free. Woman’s rights were another restriction Before the revolution “women could not vote or hold [an] office” (Shi, Tindall, 177). They also, couldn’t “preach” and most didn’t have a “formal education” (Shi, Tindall, 177). After the revolution women were able to vote, hold office, and preach. Not only were the men feeling this sense of freedom, but also the women were as well. Throughout history, liberty has progressed from being a “thought” to becoming reality through, religious persecution, restrictions, and maltreatment. The U.S wouldn’t be the same if our ancestors hadn’t gone through the challenges they did, and our thought of the word liberty wouldn’t be the