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Individual freedom is the absence of restraint on our ability to think and act for ourselves. By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the right of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference. All Amerчicans believe that they can do and say what they will so long as they don’t hurt anyone—freedom to speak, to practice religion, freedom to choose where you live or what job you do or don’t do, freedom to make money and spend it as you please. And this freedom is also one of the reasons that attract immigrants to this country.
The individual freedom in America was shaped since the very first day of the country, in particular, when the earliest settlers came to the North American continent with an aim to establish colonies that were free from the controls placed on many aspects of their lives. They were European who wanted to escape the controls from the kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. To a great extent, they succeeded. In 1776, the British colonial settlers declared their independence from England and established a new nation, the United States of America. In so doing, they defied the king of England and declared that the power to govern would lie in the hands of the people.
After successfully free from the power of the kings, in 1787, when they wrote the Constitution for their new nation, they separated church and state so that there would never be a government-supported church. This greatly limited the power of the church. Also, in writing the Constitution they expressly forbade titles of nobility to ensure that an aristocratic society would not develop. There would be no ruling class of noblemen in the new nation.
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The historic decisions made by those first settlers have had a profound effect on the shaping of the American character. By limiting the power of the government and the churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, the early settlers created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual. The United States came to be associated in their minds with the concept of individual freedom.
Individual freedom has now become the most basic of all the American values. It is one of the most respected and popular words in the United States today that are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights, set forth the priceless rights or freedom that all Americans may enjoy. A brief summary of some of the greatest freedoms is given here.
Freedom of Religion
The first freedom is freedom of religion. Freedom of religion guarantees to all Americans the right to practice any religion they choose, or to practice no religion at all. Also, Congress is forbidden to establish any religion as our nation’s official religion or favor any one religion over others.
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech also means the right to express your ideas, opinions and in return, listen to the thoughts and opinions of others. This freedom guarantees that Americans are free to express their thoughts and ideas about anything, from very daily things like friends or neighbors to serious issues such as politics or government. Of course, no one may use his freedom of speech to injure others. If a person knowingly says things that are false about another, he may be sued in court by the person or persons who believe they have been harmed by what he said.
Freedom of the Press
The freedom of the press is the freedom to express and exchange ideas and opinions in writing. Writing here means any printed form, from newspapers, books, magazines… This freedom is closely related to freedom of speech. Being able to read a variety of facts and opinions is believed to help Americans become better-informed citizens.
Freedom of Assembly
Another priceless freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment is freedom of assembly, or freedom to hold meetings. Americans are free to meet together to discuss problems and to plan their actions. Of course, such meetings must be carried on in a peaceful way.
Freedom of Petition
The freedom of petition is the right to ask your government to do something or to refrain from doing something. This freedom gives you the right to write to your Congressman and request him to work for the passage of laws you favor. You are free to ask him to change laws that you do not like. The right of petition is believed to help government officials to know what Americans think and what actions they want the government to take.
The Right to Enjoy Many Other Freedoms
There are many other rights that all Americans have and will continue to have even though they are not mentioned in the Bill of Rights. Among them are the following.
- Freedom to live or travel anywhere in our nation
- Freedom to work at any job for which we can qualify
- Freedom to marry and raise a family
- Freedom to receive a free education in good public school
Toward individual freedoms, Americans consider it as the quality of life, the opportunity for people to get ahead and the standout virtues comparing to other modern, industrialized nations.
“Individual freedoms” is the clear leader among the six areas measured, with more than three quarter of Americans rating freedom in the U.S. above par. That includes 32% saying the U.S. is the best among industrialized nations when it comes to individual freedoms — the highest for any item measured in the Dec. 14-17 USA Today/Gallup survey.
Individualism is a core of American culture and the main value in America. It has been influencing all the fields of society, economics, politics and culture. It has played an enormous and far-reaching effect to shape the character of the American nation. As conveyed by the Statue of Liberty, individual freedom is taken as the symbol of the United States. Since it was written into the First Amendment, freedom has been lying in the hearts of Americans with almost the highest honor. It is difficult to say whether or not these free rights are healthy for the whole society, but as far as an individual is concerned, the free atmosphere magnifies personalities, abilities, desires and ideals. Thus, an individual can develop oneself in any way. This may be why most of them are so enthusiastic about their work, studies and lives.
