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Liberty In John Winthrop's Little Speech On Liberty

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John Winthrop, a wealthy English puritan lawyer and governor who was leading founder of the Massachusetts Bay colony, had a completely different perspective when it came to liberty. In “Little Speech on Liberty” He says that liberty is one of the great questions that trouble the country and says he sees a “great mistake” in the country concerning its meaning. Winthrop defines two completely different liberties that he believes are prevalent in society, natural liberty and civil or federal liberty. Natural liberty he describes as being a liberty we share with creatures and beasts. In this, man has the ability to do whatever he desires— in essence this liberty gives you the will to do either good or evil, it is your own decision. Given the circumstances of choice, you can do whatever you want, meaning this liberty is unrestrained and completely up to the person. Because you are given a choice, this gives men more time to grow within the darkness and become much like their equals within this liberty, beasts. The other is the civil liberty, which is also deemed as the “moral liberty”. It is moral because of the agreement between God and man. Essentially moral liberty gives you the freedom to do whatever you want, as long as it is good, just, and honest. This liberty is maintained by the Bible; what the Bible says, is law. Previously in The Massachusetts Body of Liberties the concept that rights and the law are not given by man or the colony but are given by God was put onto
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In addition, “A government of our own is our natural right: and when a man seriously reflects on the precariousness of human life, he will become convinced that it is infinitely wiser and safer, to form a constitution of our own in a deliberate manner.” This example presents that the government is the colonists’ right as well, because it is what they are being ruled by. When one thinks about life’s rollercoaster, it is believed that it is smarter and safer to have a formal constitution. This shows that the colonists should have a voice in their government, even though the king’s ideas are

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Could you imagine your life in the government’s hands? Through reading the Declaration of Independence, “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention”, and “From Subjects to Citizens”, one can sense an overall feeling that the colonists believe a government that disobeys people’s natural rights should be removed. Each source shows a different perspective to how the colonists felt about the overpowering king. The colonists’ main goals was to create a fair government that abided by their natural rights. Overall, these sources show how the colonists felt about their previous form of government and the changes they wish to make in their future colony so that they don’t make the same mistakes.

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Liberty was an idea that America was founded upon. When the Constitution was being written, Benjamin Franklin gave a speech explaining why the delegates should sign the Constitution. Franklin admitted to the delegates that the document was not written to the best of its ability, and how he himself had doubts involving some parts. Overall, Franklin believed that this document would be something to protect the liberties of the people and would secure the people 's rights. Government preserves the liberty of citizens by their equality which leads to socialism.

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John Winthrop was a Puritan who had every advantage in life. He was born into a wealthy family that was able to provide him with everything needed to succeed. His family was a part of the gentry class, which was the dominant force in English society during his time. He attended Trinity College at the age of 14 where he studied law. His faith was always apparent in his actions.

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The American Revolution, a pivotal moment in world history, was solely fueled by tangible grievances like taxes and military presence. More fundamentally, it was ignited by a spark within the minds of the colonists – the revolutionary ideals of the Enlightenment. These ideas, emphasizing individual liberties, limited government, and the consent of the governed, profoundly challenged the prevailing hierarchical structure and sowed the seeds of discontent with British rule. The colonists, deeply influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke and Montesquieu, began questioning the traditional order, which placed them under the absolute authority of the British Crown. The concept of natural rights – inherent and inalienable rights possessed

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In 1630 John Winthrop led a group of intrepid settlers to America inspiring the immigrants to create a new society based upon the values of mercy and justice. However, Winthrop’s vision of America lacks two fundamental aspects of modern American society that makes it a shining example to the world: religious tolerance and social

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Locke helped shape the United States government and many other nations governing systems around the world. Locke believed all men were born with the rights of life or your natural rights of liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a government should protect and respect the rights of individuals. Under the protection of your government he believed “whom the society hath set over itself, with this express or tacit trust, that it shall be employed for their good, and the preservation of their property: now this power, which every man has in the state of nature, and which he parts with to the society in all such cases where the society can secure him, is to use such means, for the preserving of his own property, as he thinks good, and nature allows him; and to punish the breach of the law of nature in other” (Document C). By introducing natural rights the common people gained more power through an equality between all men. Natural rights gave people the right to possess and protect their own property both physical items and personal ideals.

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It allows us to say our opinions on things. Another way it protects our freedom is from letting the government making us the people follow a certain religion. The first amendment allows to practice religion how we want. Another way civil liberties protects us is through are eight amendment that makes sure the government does give us cruel and unusual punishment. It protects us from people abused when be punished for our crimes.

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Usually, rights for people were written by the government, such as the rights of Englishmen, but the idea of the government protecting rights that were already endowed to humans was supported by American colonists who were against the idea of the numerous violations of the Rights of Englishmen, which included taxation without consent. These taxes later popularized the famous slogan, “no taxation without representation,” first said by James Otis; most colonists believed that

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In analysing the "Speech to the Massachusetts General Court," John Winthrop states; " ...to man simply, hath liberty to do what he lists; it is a liberty to do evil as well as to [do] good"( Winthrop 77). In this quote, the reader sees that we are talking about the philosophy of John Locke and Tomas Hobbs. This is essentially the belief that, if men have the liberty of the government, they will revert back to their "nature" which is evil. In this sense, liberty continued in the English colonies as it began in England. The right to liberty roughly followed the incentive of The Glorious Revolution and John Winthrop, created a government of law based on the fear of "nature."

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John Locke is the largest exhibited pieces of writing in the artwork to show that Locke is the most important as well as a key component of the project. Just underneath his name is a quote that Locke is commonly recognized for; “Life, Liberty, and Property.” The short yet heavy quote had influenced many philosophers and political leaders, including Thomas Jefferson, who had quoted Locke’s words close to verbatim in the United States Declaration of Independence. During 1680’s John Locke along with his patron, Anthony Ashley Cooper, had gone into exile while England was under the rule of King Charles III.

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Freedom has been the center of American ideals since the United States gained independence from Great Britain. To protect these ideals, the Founding Fathers created the Bill of Rights; which contains the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The document grants American citizens their basic rights and freedoms. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and the right to petition the government without retribution. It directly states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the

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I believe Mill includes them not because they each hold inherent value, but that, when combined, they all help to achieve his idea of what freedom is for: namely the ability to pursue our own good, through the creation of a free society. It is when society recognises all of these values that individuals can fully experience freedom. Mill divides these basic liberties into three broad categories, providing examples of each: Liberties that discuss autonomy and individual sovereignty: liberty of conscience; liberty of thought and feeling; freedom of opinion and sentiment on all subjects. These liberties give us the ability to be our own sovereign, where none other than ourselves can hold power of interference over us (with the exception of the ‘harm principle’, which will later be discussed); Liberties that help provide the mechanisms of self-determination: liberty of tastes and pursuits so that individuals can make life decisions in agreement with their inherent personal values; Liberties involving groups of individuals: freedom of association and freedom to unify so that people can share their opinions with each other collectively; these are an extension of the first set of

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