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others and helping them change for the better. I find peace knowing that I do have the privilege
to experience peace in life.
Libertas is a word of many meanings. Libertas is a Latin word that has many translations,
freedom and liberty being two examples. Liberty and freedom go hand in hand with each other,
you can’t have one without the other. Liberty is defined as “the state of being free within society
from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political
views.” One could argue that it sounds a little like the definition of freedom. The United States
of America’s Pledge of Allegiance declares “with liberty and justice for all,” and the first
amendment states “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.” Even in our country's beginning, our founders knew that to secure an ethical
principled government the people needed liberty and freedom
When I was told of this essay opportunity my first step of action was to learn more about
who John F Tinker is. There was plenty of information on the John F Tinker Foundation’s
website and I made good use of it. I was startled to find that I never had once heard of this man
and his friends' courage to stand up for themselves. I read of the struggles they faced while
standing up for something that mattered to them. In a place whose purpose, they thought, was to
grow their minds and help strengthen their beliefs in what they stand for, they were targeted and
turned away for sticking their necks out where others weren’t. I had never heard of Tinker v. Des
Moines Independent Community School District. I didn’t know about the band of friends who
fought to give me the freedom to express my thoughts, beliefs, and opinions in a school setting, I
had always taken for granted the fact that I was able to do so.