Essay about Education and Liberty

Submitted By xsoftballchck5x
Words: 1063
Pages: 5
Open Document
In America, few things are as highly esteemed and valued as liberty and education. It was a pursuit of liberty that caused the first pilgrims to come to America in order that they might have freedom of religion; it was a pursuit of liberty that caused the colonies to declare independence from Britain's rule, and it is in pursuit of liberty that millions of people have immigrated to the United States. Liberty has become America's theme, pride, and joy. Alongside liberty, education has always been present. It was viewed as highly important, even before the founding of the United States, as a means of maintaining liberty. Today, however, many people do not understand the relationship between education and liberty, believing them to be incompatible and in opposition to one another, when in fact the very opposite is true. Education and liberty have an interdependent relationship; you cannot have one without the other.

In order to understand why education and liberty have an interdependent relationship, you must first understand what education and liberty are. Education is not confined to a school building nor is it confined to a series of basic subjects such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. In his American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster defines education as "that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and form them for usefulness in their future stations". Reading, writing, and arithmetic are obviously necessary parts of education, but they are not the only things that education is comprised of.

Whereas education gives you the tools to be able to think and learn, liberty gives you the ability to find truth. Liberty is basically freedom from restraint. However, it is not the freedom to do whatever you want, being irresponsible and denying basic truths and morals. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, once said, “Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought.” Liberty gives you the ability to seek truth and progress in life.

With those definitions in mind, let us go on to see the relationship between education and liberty. Education is dependent on liberty for two main reasons. First, without liberty, you will be taught what to think instead of how to think. That is not true education; that is indoctrination. If you are taught what to think instead of how to think, then your mind is not being enlightened in understanding; you are simply being "programmed", like a robot, to think a certain way. This is the basis of Communist education, which seeks to turn little children into future supporters of their violent, socialist agenda. If the Communist leaders can gain control of what and how the children are taught, they can make them believe what they want them to believe. This manipulation of the mind will happen in any form of instruction that is void of liberty, contradicting the very definition of education, which is to "enlighten the understanding".

Secondly, education is dependent on liberty because without liberty, you cannot truly learn. Education is about expanding your knowledge and abilities, and that is impossible without the liberty to search for truth. For example, most schools today teach the theory of evolution in regard to the history of mankind and the earth. Evolution is the only theory that they teach and endorse. Because they do not introduce other theories, such as Creation or Intelligent Design, they are, in essence, forcing their students to believe in evolution. They aren't allowing them to see both sides, critically think through the theories, and make their own decision. Without liberty, students aren't truly learning or being educated; they are being conformed to a certain mold.

Just as education is dependent on liberty, liberty is dependent upon education. Without education, you will be confined to the realm of your limited
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Education and Liberty

esay 1 Essay

preservation of our liberty. -Thomas Jefferson Americans view few things as highly cherished as liberty and education. A pursuit of liberty caused the first pilgrims to come to America in order they might have freedom of religion, the pursuit of liberty is what caused the colonies to declare independence from king Gorge. Liberty has become the theme, pride, and joy of America. Viewed as highly important even before the founding of the United States, as a means of maintaining liberty. Today, however…

Words 767 - Pages 4

Napoleon Bonaparte Essay

Prior to the French Revolution, the system of government was based on Absolute Monarchy. They were answerable to no one and their word was law. It is evident that the social structure in France disregarded the ideals of liberty and equality. Also, there was little or no form of education by the monarchy, especially for the peasants. In terms of religion, faiths other than Catholicism were forbidden. The French Revolution resulted in many different ideas and beliefs being created among the vast population…

Words 1329 - Pages 6

Trinity and Liberty University Essay

Hero/Heroine- Jerry Farwell is the founder on Liberty University. In 1967, Falwell implemented his vision to build a Christian educational system for evangelical youth. He began with the establishment of Lynchburg Christian Academy, an accredited Christian day school for grades K-12. In 1971, he founded Liberty University, an accredited Christian university for evangelical believers. Today his vision has been fulfilled, with more than 12,000 students attending classes on campus in Lynchburg, Va.…

Words 346 - Pages 2

Culture change and Significance Essay

Significance Internet –related: Wikipedia Wikipedia was launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2001. It is the internet’s largest encyclopaedia. It is highly significant in the modern society, where our daily work, education and even life are based on the internet education. In recent years, Wikipedia has become so important in the lives of student and academic institution because of its accuracy and availability in almost all the important languages around the world to everyone freely. The…

Words 478 - Pages 2

Arguments Against Vaccination

vaccinations violates our civil liberties. Being vaccinated should be a personal choice for individuals and their children. Today, many states require many vaccinations for different reasons. These include laws requiring schoolchildren to have proof of immunity against Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Poliomyelitis, Measles, Rubella, Mumps, Haemophilus…

Words 954 - Pages 4

The Affordable Care Act

valid arguments. The answer is, the law breaches a line protecting our liberty, yet can surely on some level be considered a Positive Liberty as the government is providing healthcare for the millions of Americans who are unable to get it on their own (Levin-Waldman, 2011, p 16). While some are for Obamacare and others against it, many may not truly understand where the bill stands when it comes to the constitution and the liberty promised to all Americans in the declaration of independence over two…

Words 774 - Pages 4

How Did Abigail Adams Impact Society

on the ideals of equality and independence. Mrs. Adams was one of the earliest women’s rights activist and will always influence America’s women. While John Adams was at the Constitutional Convention shaping the document that would set the tone of liberty and equality for all Americans, Abigail wrote to him often, expressing her concern that the nation did not give full equality to the people, mainly women. Although her husband didn’t listen to her, Abigail’s plea to “Remember the Ladies” greatly impacted…

Words 1349 - Pages 6

Social Liberalism Thesis

Lindsey Albert February 25, 2017 Thesis Statement Paper 1 Dr. Ledford Liberalism is one of a group of political ideologies that views individual liberty, as a means to personal autonomy, as the primary goal of society. The fundamental concepts of liberalism include a belief in unchangeable, basic human rights and in particular, the rights of life, liberty and property. While these core beliefs are central to all forms of liberalism, there are conflicts between various strands of liberalism. Differences…

Words 1547 - Pages 7

Compulsory Education Act Case Brief

of Oregon Appelles: Owners of two private education institutions (The Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and the Hill Military Academy) In 1922, the State of Oregon enacted the Compulsory Education Act. This Oregon law required parents or guardians of a child, between the ages of eight and sixteen, to send the child to only public schools. However, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 1, 1925, ruled (9–0) that the Compulsory Education Act law was unconstitutional. The court decided…

Words 377 - Pages 2

Examples Of Freedom In America

stay in his case. I think that the United States is probably one of the only country which authorize and give this freedom. The right of a free education in a public school is also a very important right, cause in some countries, it’s practically impossible to disadvantage people to put their children in a school and give them the chance to have an education and in consequence the opportunity to have access to a good job and a good future. In conclusion American have a lot of freedom and right in their…

Words 898 - Pages 4