Freedom is it really?

Does America offer freedom and opportunity for all?

History has proven that people of all races and gender will seek their own freedoms and opportunities and America has long been an attractive place for many people to make a new start. The idea of freedom and opportunity for all is what America was built on, yet to many of its citizens, American history has been defined by events the show otherwise. In fact, many Americans still feel that there freedom is only an illusion and that there are little if any opportunities for them. For a lot of people, especially those who participated in the civil rights movements, their freedom and opportunities were either physically taken away with segregation or mentally taken away through poor education.

In the past, freedom meant different things to different people. Over time the thought of every citizen being offered freedom and opportunity was common, unfortunately that idea was accepted only among those who were already free. Historically, America has not been kind to all of its citizens and all of its citizens have not enjoyed real freedom. Plantation farms and slavery denied many freedoms such as free speech, free press and the freedom to vote, to many African Americans. Blacks had no opportunities and freedoms during this time period, when slaves were being traded and sold, and families were separated without any opportunity to voice their opinions. Parents were also denied the opportunity to raise their own children and husband and wives were often separated and relocated. It is this past that has left a lasting impression on many Americans that America does not offer freedom and opportunity for all.

Today our freedoms and opportunities are different from those of plantation slaves, yet today not just African Americans but many Americans still search for economic freedom only to find many obstacles and great adversity. Many want the opportunity to secure land for their family and for future generations but profitable opportunities are more limited in their communities. Real-estate prices are lower and so it is easier for people too purchase land but homes can still cost as much as one million dollars. At the same time, employment in America is down, job opportunities are scarce and business loans are tough if not impossible to secure for lower class and even middle class citizens. To capitalize on many real estate business opportunities an individual needs the support of banks and businesses. Acquiring real freedom and opportunities becomes so far away for some that it is safe to say that for lower class and middle class people in America, freedom and opportunities are limited.
Education and land are important in America as means to gain freedom and opportunities. Like Real-estate, education can also provide economic freedom and bring about many new opportunities, but a quality education too is not offered to all. Lower class and middle class people struggle to pay for a private elementary school education and in turn rather send their children to under funded local schools that are failing their students. A poor education more times than others ultimately leads to a lack of opportunities and restricted freedoms.
Without an education to create opportunities people are not free, not free start a career in any job industry or free to make any educated decisions. Many job industries have adapted to specialization, where employers hire specially educated people to for special jobs. Without an education these opportunities are not going to be offered to all, leaving many of today’s people to struggle with the same difficulty that many slaves encountered and that’s that America does not offer freedom and opportunity for all.

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