The Rise of Liberty: A Journey through History

When mankind was created in the garden of God, he was given true liberty. He was free from arbitrary rules and given freedom to live as he pleased under God’s rules. This liberty was quickly lost after the fall, and men were oppressed by the Nephilim or giants – violent men who exercised arbitrary and bloody rule over others.

The flood did little to restore liberty to earth, since the world quickly divided into many nations which were ruled by tyrants. The story of the ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, and others are long records of arbitrary control and repression of mankind.

The Hebrew Nation Builds a Foundation for Liberty

The Jewish theocracy was a first and significant step toward the return of liberty. The laws of Moses were not designed for all people to have access to liberty, since they only applied to the Jewish nation. But they created a system in which men could flourish, free from the rigor of tyrants. Although this system was abused by hypocrisy and oppressed by kings who disregarded the law, the Jewish people were the first nation on earth to lay claim to freedom.

There were other nations which made halting steps toward freedom. The codes of Hammurabi, Draco, and Solon made some progress toward freeing men from the arbitrary whims of masters. Athens enfranchised her free male citizens, and gave them a small taste of freedom, but without many safeguards against license. In the conflict of the orders, Rome also took small steps to give to more of her populace the rights of free men.

Christianity Spreads Seeds of True Liberty

But it was the outbreak of Christianity, the great Enlightenment of the First Century, which spread the seeds of lasting liberty. Although men were no more free from Rome’s tyranny after believing in Christ than they were before, they came to realize the spiritual freedom they have in Christ, and began to treat others as free men. This led, over time, to the abolition of the gladiatorial games, and eventually, the end of slavery.

Yet Christianity was quickly subverted from within, and within a few generations, the same Empire which granted religious freedom to its Christian inhabitants, soon took it from the pagans. From there, it was only a few short steps until heresy was persecuted, and then any view which differed from that of the authority. Multiplied across the centuries, these trends led to The Inquisition and the persecution, at times cruel and shocking, of any dissension in Europe.

Still, even in the darkness of the Mediaeval, there were glimmers of liberty. The Magna Carta was only a small step, but it laid a foundation for the rights of Englishmen, and for this it deserves our notice.

The Reformation reignited the ideas of the first Enlightenment, of the spiritual freedom of man. Though very unequally applied, these ideas were revived: that men have freedom of conscience, that they are created by God to govern themselves under lawful authorities, and that even a king is under a higher authority.

Liberty in the English-Speaking World

It was the English-speaking world where liberty would burst forth most brilliantly. Through the gradual evolution of the English Parliament, there developed a counterbalance to the authority of the king. This principle was tested, and approved, in the English Civil War. From this point especially, English men began to see themselves as holding certain rights. While they tied these rights to their English heritage, it was not because they were English, but because of their God-created lineage, that they held the liberty which so much of the world was oblivious to.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was a triumph of liberty, for the Edict of Toleration (1689) was the direct result. Now the English people could enjoy their Freedom of Conscience without government interference, and the idea of the ‘Rights of Englishmen’ was further solidified.

America Shapes Modern Liberty

These rights were further developed and protected on the other side of the Atlantic. The English peoples of America took these rights seriously, and despite their excesses, were zealous to defend them. America was laid with a foundation of liberty, intended to be the ‘city on a hill,’ and wisely distinguishing between liberty and license.  The written constitution of America, the separation of powers, and the republican form of democracy, constitute the purest system of liberty which the world had yet seen.

And so America became a vehicle for the introduction of liberty beyond her shores, spreading the concept of liberty to many other nations. At present, liberty still has a very tenuous grasp on many places. The ideas of democracy or republicanism are not the same as liberty, but are often confused for her. Liberty is under assault everywhere, in fascism and tyranny (which deny its existence) and through libertinism, which confuses true liberty with unregulated license.

Liberty is only preserved from one generation to the next. As Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.” The great need is for men and women who know liberty and are willing to defend it. In the words of Sir William Jones, a state consists of:

“Men, who their duties know,

But know their rights, and, knowing, dare maintain,

Prevent the long-aimed blow,

And crush the tyrant while they rend the chain.”

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