Freedom

Old English frēodōm — power of self-determination. From frēo (free) + dōm (judgment, condition). The Proto-Germanic root is related to 'love' — the free person was one who belonged to the beloved community, not to a master.

The most contested word in American political life. Liberty and freedom are often used interchangeably but carry different weights — freedom tends toward the personal and emotional, liberty toward the legal and civic. 'Freedom' has been invoked to justify both abolition and slavery, both protest and suppression.