A Brief History of Liberty

This work traces Liberty from her emergence in ancient Athens to her "death" at the hands of Julius Caesar and his successors in the early Roman Empire. The author concludes that Liberty is bedeviled by a great paradox. Liberty is natural to mankind, yet is singularly difficult to bring into the world. It was a providential confluence of geography, culture, and happenstance that led to ancient Athens' being the site of the "birth" of democracy following a bloody, foiled coup attempt...
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This work traces Liberty from her emergence in ancient Athens to her "death" at the hands of Julius Caesar and his successors in the early Roman Empire. The author concludes that Liberty is bedeviled by a great paradox. Liberty is natural to mankind, yet is singularly difficult to bring into the world. It was a providential confluence of geography, culture, and happenstance that led to ancient Athens' being the site of the "birth" of democracy following a bloody, foiled coup attempt by Cylon of Athens. Pericles of Athens later gave the Tree of Liberty a place in which to take root and flourish. Solon and even the dreaded Draco also contributed mightily to Athens' rightful reputation of the birthplace of Liberty. Alexander the Great conquered ancient Greece and spread Greek culture throughout the known world. Following Alexander's untimely death, Rome absorbed much of the remaining empire, thus spreading Greek culture, including its philosophical and political teachings, ever-farther. As Rome lost touch with its own roots and culture, its corrupt and weakened foundations yielded to the Caesars, ending democracy in the classical world, and leaving Lady Liberty in search of new lands. As the author demonstrates, Liberty is both delicate and tenacious. She is hard to coax out into the world (and even then often at great cost in blood and treasure), yet is seemingly immortal. She emerges when the time and circumstances suit her nature, and only then will take her proper place in bestowing her considerable blessings on the affairs of mankind.