Ever since I came to political awareness many moons ago, I’ve been puzzled by the words liberty and freedom, and why we have two words for what appears to be the same idea. I have a feeling that I’m not alone. I’ve never researched it specifically, and in all my reading I’ve never seen an explanation that differentiates the two words, until now. On the advice of a friend I purchased David Hackett Fischer’s at least seven pound tome, “Liberty and Freedom: A Visual History of America’s Founding Ideas.” What a great looking book, and it’s really impressive on the book shelf, especially when people come over and think one reads such very large books. But despite the natural intimidation that comes from opening very thick books, I decided to tackle the introduction. That I could handle. What a revelation, especially as I head an organization that seeks to promote a culture of liberty in the United States. Historically the words are indeed not synonymous, which is why there are two words and not one. I know that’s kind of obvious, but all words come from somewhere and derive their meaning in some part from that history. The study of
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