Freedom is the ability to pursue your dreams.It is not necessarily to be able to live the life you want,exactly,since life is never so perfect and generous,but it certainly involves being able to pursue that life,without being interrupted by the government or by society.
That is the type of freedom Thomas Jefferson envisioned when he wrote the words "life,liberty,and the pursuit of happiness" into the American Declaration of Independence.He and America's other founding fathers wanted to escape the tyranny of Great Britain,of the distant government that had been taxing American colonists unfairly without letting them be represented in the British Parliament.The colonists decided that freedom would be gained if they founded their own government,over which they would have more control.They dreamed of a government that would work for the people,and would do its utmost to make its citizens happy and free.
However,difficulties came up.Britain did not want its lucrative colonies to be free.The result was the American Revolution,and the ill-equipped Americans faced the British,who were then the best army in the world.
The Americans fought hard and used clever guerrilla warfare,and George Washington eventually led his disadvantaged troops to victory.But the key to their success wasn't exclusively the strong leadership.Instead,the fact that independence mattered so much more to the Americans than to their British rulers made a huge difference.If the Americans won,they would have everything they wanted.If they lost,they would have lost what they already had,and more.
In the end,when they did win,they created a grand new experiment as the first large-scale democracy in history.The country was flying like a bird into the vastness of the sky,with many former influences reduced or eliminated.That was both exciting and frightening,because there were no precedents,no guides,no set framework.But the founding fathers worked hard to make it all work,and today America is reputed as one of the freest counties in the world; citizens can pursue most of their dreams without any fear.
It would be wrong to say that gaining freedom is easy,since Britain was very powerful,as are most forces that keep people un-free today.But freedom is certainly achievable through careful,intelligent planning backed by very strong motivation.
