This document discusses the history and importance of freedom. It outlines key events in the development of freedom such as ancient Greek democracy, the Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution. It also discusses freedom's manifestations like autonomy, emancipation, and free press. The document emphasizes that freedom must be promoted, protected, and extended to all people regardless of attributes.

1. CELEBRATING FREEDOM
By Don Bates, APR, Fellow PRSA
Copyright 2018, 2019
What do you believe? What do you think?
What do you know? What do you uphold?

2. WHAT FREEDOM IS
By Don Bates, APR, Fellow PRSA
Copyright 2018, 2019
What do you believe? What do you think?
What do you know? What do you uphold?

3. PERSPECTIVE
Freedom is not an option; it’s a must. But it’s
not guaranteed; it must be honored, respected,
argued, protected. It must be promoted and
shared – with everyone, everywhere, always.
It must be the law of all lands, the right of all
people regardless of their color, creed, national
origin, sexual orientation, social or economic
circumstances.

4. The Greeks Started the Fire
Of all its contributions to humanity, the greatest of ancient Greece is democracy, which in Greek means "people
power." Democracy in city-states such as Athens embodied legal equality, personal freedom, and governance by
the people. Here, Socrates (orange) and Plato (blue) discuss Plato’s so-called Allegory of the Cave, which
represents how philosophers (and we) gain knowledge and understanding. Socrates compares appearance vs.
reality, education vs. ignorance.

5. PERSPECTIVE
Freedom is the power or right to responsibly
act, speak, or think without political hindrance
or restraint. Different degrees of freedom are
granted by different kinds of governments. The
most freedom is in democracies. The least is in
dictatorships. The U.S. is currently viewed as
the most democratic country in the world but
several European nations would disagree.

6. Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773)
This was a protest by the Sons of Liberty against the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East
India company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying taxes other than those imposed by
the Townshend Acts. American Patriots dumped the entire shipment of tea from three British ships into Boston
Harbor. The act precipitated the American Revolution.

7. Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)
The Declaration of Independence listed grievances against the British monarchy and summarized a philosophy
of liberty held by the Continental Congress. Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson, it contained ideas expressed
by many Founding Fathers as well as European philosophers such as John Locke.

8. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
• WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Happiness…
• That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of
the Governed…
• That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive
of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to
abolish it, and to institute new Government…as to them shall
seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

9. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
• WE, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the
Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our
Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good
People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare…
• That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE
AND INDEPENDENT STATES, that they are absolved from all
Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political
Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is
and ought to be totally dissolved…

10. U.S. Constitution (signed September 17, 1787, ratified June 28, 1788)
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution of the United States of America.”

11. FIRST AMENDMENT
Bill of Rights
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press; or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances.

12. WHAT CONSTITUTION ISN’T
Not set of laws per se*
Rather, it has enumerated powers or
guaranteed rights. There are limited powers
given to the government, and guaranteed rights
to citizens throughout all states. The
Constitution also includes the Bill of Rights.
*But laws are made based on the Constitution.

13. WRITE FOR FREE COPY
Download U.S. Constitution:
https://thefederalistpapers.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/11/The-Constitution-of-
the-United-States-of-America.pdf
Download other country constitutions. How
free are people in other places? Are their words
backed by credible actions? What can you do to
help them obtain or protect their freedom?

14. Mount Rushmore (symbol of freedom’s history)
National Monument in the Black Hills, South Dakota, features 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents George
Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham
Lincoln (1809–1865), chosen, respectively, to represent the birth, development, and preservation of the United
States. Carved 1934-1939, construction ended 1941 when funding ran out.

15. WHAT DICTIONARY SAYS
Freedom includes:
• Absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in
choice or action
• Liberation from slavery or restraint, or from the
power of another
• Quality or state of being exempt or released from
something usually onerous
• Boldness of conception or execution
• Constitutionally protected rights

16. FREEDOM’S MANIFESTATIONS
• Autonomy
• Emancipation
• Enfranchisement
• Independence
• Liberty
• Free press
• Free elections
• Right to vote
• Self-determination
• Self-governance

17. THEN: The Civil War (1861-1865)
The American Civil War was fought by the North and the South of the United States. Largely the result of the
long-standing controversy over enslavement of black people, war broke out when secessionist forces attacked
Fort Sumter in South Carolina, just after Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated 16th U.S. President. Although the
Union won, upwards of 10 percent of the then U.S. population died in combat or from wounds and disease.

18. NOW: U.S. President Barack Obama (January 20, 2009-January 20, 2017)
Barack Obama (D) was 44th President of the U.S. The first non-white president, he was elected for the full two
terms allowed by the U.S. Constitution. Today, he is considered one of America’s greatest leaders despite his
youth and the recency of his years in office. Born Aug, 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

19. BELIEFS ABOUT FREEDOM
• For every man who lives without freedom, the rest of
us must face the guilt. Lillian Hellman
• Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy.
Edmund Burke
• Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of
life. Mahatma Gandhi
• Freedom would be meaningless without security in
the home and in the streets. Nelson Mandela

20. BELIEFS ABOUT FREEDOM
• Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for
themselves. Abraham Lincoln
• Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more
freedom. Mary McLeod Bethune
• Freedom? We were free before you came. Native
American (anonymous)

21. We the People, Today and Tomorrow
Whether you speak, write, assemble, march, vote, volunteer, organize, intern, fundraise, lobby or otherwise
advocate for freedom of speech and freedom of the press, do it joyfully and encourage others – those you
know, those you don’t – to do the same. We are all in this together. Freedom is not a given; it must be
promoted, publicized and protected.

22. DUTY TO PROTECT AND EXTEND
Make freedom a priority in your life:
• Read the U.S. Constitution (it’s short)
• Know your rights under the law (e.g., right to
habeas corpus, right to privacy, right to no
unwarranted searches and seizures)
• Advocate for freedom – yours and others
• Join groups fighting for freedom
• Vote and take part in free elections

23. Marches on Washington
In the U.S., marches on the nation’s capitol are regular occurrences, organized by private and public groups to
make their voices and the voices of their constituencies heard by Congress and the media. This march was
against Donald Trump’s actions. Famous marches from the past include the 1963 March on Washington led
by Rev. Martin Luther King as part of the fight to gain equal rights for all Americans.

24. FREEDOM MANTRA
One man, one vote. One vote, one hope.
One hope, one step toward greater
freedom – for us and for others.

25. Freedom must be fought for sometimes; oppression must be denied
“…from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full
measure of devotion that this nation…shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the
people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg
Address, November 19, 1893, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

26. FREEDOM FIRST AND ALWAYS
Don Bates, author of this slide presentation, conducts
public and private PR-writing workshops in the U.S.
and abroad. He also teaches PR and business courses
at New York University, and is senior counselor
on PR-agency management and M&A at Gould+Partners.
Previously, he was a journalist before he became a PR
professional, consulting firm owner, and freelance writer.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
--New York University: db155@nyu.edu
--Bates Consulting batesdon1@msn.com
--Gould Partners: donbates@gould-partners.com
--WritingRX Blog: www.writingRX.tumblr.com