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Liberty and Freedom: Contradictions Within Struggles for Independence

Liberty and freedom are fundamental aspirations that have driven some of the most significant movements in world history. However, these struggles have often been marked by deep contradictions when confronted with the realities of marginalized groups. The American War of Independence, the French Revolution, and the Indian freedom struggle all claimed to fight for liberty and equality, yet within their frameworks, sections of society remained excluded, their aspirations suppressed. This essay explores how these contradictions emerged and why even the noblest ideals of liberty had to grapple with the question of marginalized freedom.

The American Revolution: Liberty and Slavery

The American War of Independence (1775-1783) is often celebrated as a historic fight for liberty from British colonial rule. The Declaration of Independence famously asserted that "all men are created equal" and endowed with "unalienable rights" such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." However, this assertion of universal human rights coexisted with the brutal reality of slavery. The very men who fought for freedom from British oppression often owned slaves, upholding a system that denied liberty to millions of African Americans.

The contradiction between the American ideals of freedom and the continuation of slavery was stark. While the revolutionaries fought for their own political and economic freedom, they remained largely silent on the plight of enslaved people. The preservation of slavery in the southern colonies was seen as essential for economic stability, and therefore, the American revolutionaries chose to ignore the moral inconsistencies between their struggle and the freedom of enslaved people.

This selective application of liberty created a deep moral flaw in the foundation of the newly formed United States. It took nearly a century, and a bloody Civil War, for the country to confront the issue of slavery. Even then, the abolition of slavery in 1865 did not bring true equality, as African Americans continued to face systemic discrimination and marginalization. Thus, the American fight for liberty remained incomplete and marred by its failure to address the freedom of all its people.

 The French Revolution: Liberty for Whom?

Similarly, the French Revolution (1789) sought to dismantle the oppressive monarchy and establish a republic based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, symbolized the people's desire to overthrow tyranny and claim their rights. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted soon after, enshrined the universal rights of individuals to liberty and equality.

Yet, even within this movement, contradictions emerged. The French Revolution, while radical in its rhetoric, failed to extend its ideals to all members of society. Women, for instance, were excluded from the new political order, as were the colonized people in the French empire, particularly in Haiti, where enslaved Africans rose up against French rule. The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), a direct consequence of the French Revolution, highlighted the hypocrisy of proclaiming universal liberty while denying it to those enslaved in French colonies.

In both the American and French Revolutions, the failure to address the marginalization of certain groups revealed the limitations of these struggles for liberty. The rhetoric of freedom was powerful, but its implementation was selective, privileging some while excluding others. These internal contradictions forced these societies to grapple with the meaning of liberty and who was entitled to it.

 The Indian Freedom Struggle: The Fight Within

The Indian freedom struggle against British colonialism, which culminated in independence in 1947, presents a different but equally complex narrative of liberty. The movement was primarily driven by the goal of ending foreign rule and reclaiming India's political sovereignty. However, within the broader fight for freedom, there were internal conflicts that mirrored the struggles faced by marginalized communities in other movements for independence.

One of the most significant internal contradictions within the Indian freedom struggle was the issue of caste. While leaders like Mahatma Gandhi called for unity among all Indians to fight against British oppression, the realities of caste-based discrimination could not be ignored. The Dalits, or "untouchables," led by figures like B.R. Ambedkar, argued that true freedom for India could not be achieved without addressing the oppressive caste system that marginalized millions of people within Indian society.

Ambedkar, a key figure in the drafting of India's Constitution, emphasized that political freedom from British rule would be meaningless without social freedom for the lower castes. The caste system, which had deep roots in Indian society, denied basic human rights to Dalits and other marginalized groups, creating a parallel struggle for liberty within the larger national movement. Ambedkar famously rejected the notion that mere political independence would automatically lead to social justice for the marginalized, and he advocated for significant legal and social reforms to dismantle caste-based inequalities.

Thus, the Indian freedom struggle, while primarily focused on ending British colonial rule, was also a battleground for the freedom of marginalized communities within India. The fight for liberty, therefore, was not just a struggle against external oppression but also against internal hierarchies and social injustices.

 Why Do Freedom Struggles Marginalize Certain Groups?

The exclusion of marginalized groups from the broader frameworks of liberty in these struggles raises an important philosophical question: Why do movements for freedom often fail to fully include all members of society?

One reason is that freedom struggles are often driven by the dominant groups within society who define the terms of liberty according to their own interests. In the American Revolution, it was the white, land-owning elite who led the charge, and their vision of freedom did not extend to enslaved Africans. In the French Revolution, the bourgeoisie and intellectuals prioritized their own political and economic liberation over the rights of women and colonized people. In India, the upper-caste leadership of the freedom movement, despite its progressive goals, struggled to fully embrace the radical demands of anti-caste activists like Ambedkar.

Another reason is the complexity of balancing immediate political goals with long-term social justice. Many freedom movements focus on achieving independence or political rights first, assuming that social equality will follow later. However, history shows that ignoring the freedom of marginalized groups during the initial phases of these struggles often leads to their continued exclusion, even after political independence is achieved.

Finally, the contradictions within these struggles reflect a broader tension between universal ideals of liberty and the realities of deeply entrenched social inequalities. Liberty, in its most ideal form, is supposed to be universal, but in practice, it often becomes a privilege enjoyed by some while denied to others. This creates a persistent challenge for any society attempting to reconcile its ideals of freedom with the lived experiences of all its members.

Conclusion

The struggles for liberty in America, France, and India reveal the inherent contradictions that arise when marginalized groups are excluded from the larger framework of freedom. These movements, while driven by noble ideals, were incomplete in their realization of true liberty for all. Whether it was the failure to abolish slavery in the American Revolution, the exclusion of women and colonized people in the French Revolution, or the persistence of caste-based discrimination in India’s freedom struggle, the fight for liberty was often selective.

The lesson from these struggles is clear: the true measure of liberty lies not in the freedoms won by the dominant groups, but in the extent to which the marginalized and oppressed are included in the vision of freedom. Only when all people are afforded the same rights and opportunities can a society claim to have achieved true liberty.