Consider the meaning of liberty. What do these documents tell us about Essay

Consider the meaning of liberty. What do these documents tell us about the meaning of liberty in the United States during the late 19th century - Essay Example One of the significant meanings of â€Å"liberty† in the United States during the late 19th century is suggested by Emma Goldman’s essay on patriotism, according to which patriotism is a menace to liberty. In other words, liberty was comprehended as a concept which highlighted the anti-patriotic views of the people in the US during this time. According to Goldman, patriotism is all about a life of slavish submission, vice, and distortion, etc during peace, and a life of danger, exposure, and death, etc. at time of war. To her, â€Å"there is still enough of the spirit of independence and love of liberty left in the average American to risk starvation rather than don the uniform.† (Goldman, 7) Therefore, liberty is not possible for an individual when patriotism demands total submission of the individual freedom to the nation. In a reflective analysis of the law-system and the justice-system of the nation during the late 19th century, it becomes evident that individual liberty was cut back in the name of the public welfare. Thus, the concept of liberty was comprehended as something above the law-system and the justice-system which aimed at public welfare. â€Å"We have seen more than once that the public welfare may call upon the best citizens for their lives. It would be strange if it could not call upon those who already sap the strength of the State for these lesser sacrifices, often not felt to be such by those concerned, in order to prevent our being swamped with incompetence.† (Buck v. Bell, 2) The meaning of the term ‘liberty’ during the late 19th century was also affected by policies of the government in the United States of America, especially the foreign policies. Accordingly, the government policy for the immigration of foreigners to the nation also affected the enjoyment of liberty by the citizens of the