The notion of freedom is inscribed in the United States’ founding documents which are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Are all these elements enough to call the USA the land of the free?

IA notion inscribed in America’s DNA

1 A key notion at the core of American democracy

The 1776 Declaration of Independence enacts three unalienable rights which are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The government guarantee these three principles which are at the core of American democracy.

The notion of liberty is also present in the 1789 Bill of Rights which are the first ten amendments of the US Constitution. The 1st amendment guarantees the freedoms of the press, of speech and worship.

2 American symbols and American presidents

The Statue of Liberty which stands in New York’s harbour was the first thing immigrants saw in the 19th century. The statue is holding a torch making it a lighthouse guiding people but also people “yearning to breathe free”.

Those words are quoted from the poem entitled “The New Colossus” written by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) and also inscribed on the pedestal of the statue. This sonnet illustrates the image people had of the US in the 19th century, a welcoming place where freedom was promoted.

In 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a speech to Congress where he depicted his country as a free and safe place. It is known as the “Four Freedom Speech” where the word “freedom” is repeated about 15 times.

IIIs the land of the free still a reality today?

1 People concerned by citizenship

At the very beginning, the civil liberties promised by the Founding Fathers only concerned the citizens, that is to say white male owners.

So when the USA became independent in 1776, women were not considered citizens. In 1920, the 19th amendment was passed into law allowing women to vote.

At the time of the independence, black people were not citizens as they were slaves. Even if slavery was abolished in 1865, black people were not considered real citizens until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 putting an end to racial segregation in the Southern States.

2 Social inequalities

In 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty. Black people had the highest poverty rate with 19.5% and did not experience a significant change from 2019. The same year the poverty rate for Asians was 8.1%. It means that the American Dream is called into question.

Today, the American society cannot be considered an equal one if one considers the situation of black Americans. Racism is systemic and deeply rooted as we can see it in police brutality. The movement Black Lives Matter came out in 2013 following several deaths of black people by police officers due to their skin colour.