Liberty and Freedom in America

The concepts of liberty and freedom have drastically changed their definitions over time. They used to be used interchangeably in society, however, now they are two separate terms that mean different things. How did this come to be? In the process of this change, many events and realizations had to occur in order to create the difference. For instance, African Americans becoming enslaved and being forced to work against their will, demonstrates how difficult it was to gain freedom. It was not just automatically earned for some groups of people, it instead had to be earned or fought for. For others, however, it was a right they were born into and did not have to work for it. How does this seem fair to all Americans who are supposed to have equal rights? 

In the TED talk, it discussed the hardships he faced during his childhood as a Japanese American, with very obvious unfair punishments. He even goes on to explain how when him and his family were finally released from the internment camps, he asked his parents "when are we going home?" because, to him, as a child, whatever came to mind when the idea of home was presented, went to the camps because that was the only "home" he was ever exposed to that he could remember. This sad and tragic narrative of his life brings the audience to the realization that America is not always faithful to the core values that it once had. When looking at different races, this is the break in which freedom and liberty comes to. Going back to the African Americans that were forced into slavery, it displays the tireless work they were forced to do everyday without having any basic rights or will to do what they desire for themselves. When African Americans became free from slavery, that is when they earned their basic freedom that they should be able to have living in America. In similar terms, this is the same for when the Japanese Americans were released from internment camps, they gained more of what it was like to have freedom in America. 

Liberty has a less general meaning that is more orderly, relating to political life in America. In the end, liberty and freedom are related because the political part of our nation is very prominent in terms of order and structure in society. It connects to our basic freedom and represents how they should both be equally as important in America because of the past that we have had as a nation and the change it proposes to improve those unfortunate events. As a society in this generation, it is our job to emphasize the importance of freedom and liberty, as it should not be forgotten, in order to improve America as a whole and all of the people living in it.