Ronald Reagan on Freedom

The Quote by Ronald Reagan on Freedom

“Freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few, but the universal right of all God’s children.” -Ronald Reagan on Freedom

My Take

When I first saw this quote by Ronald Reagan, I knew I had to write about it. It ties in with so much I’ve written about, and certainly with much that I will write about in the future. Why? Because, in it, Reagan perfectly sums up the justification for our freedom here and our exporting it abroad.

I don’t think he’s saying we should engage in senseless regime change as George W. Bush did in Iraq. That poorly-contrived campaign went completely against the grain of George Washington’s advice to avoid foreign entanglements.

But, America needs to be willing to support freedom-loving nations and groups around the world. Hong Kong is a prime example of that need; what is at stake there right now is freedom itself. If we don’t step in and ensure that Hong Kong’s citizens keep their right to freedom, then what are we doing? We’re certainly not fulfilling Kennedy’s pledge that we’ll support freedom anywhere.

And, perhaps more importantly, we’re not living up to the ideals laid out by the Founding Fathers before the American Revolution. That war was fought to establish our liberty from a tyrant and other nations supported us in that endeavor.

Now, it’s our turn to show nations around the world that if they do truly desire freedom and are willing to fight to preserve or establish it, then we’ll support it.

The Iraqis weren’t willing to, nor were the South Vietnamese. But, the South Koreans were, as were countless others that we’ve supported. Great Britain was a great example of that in World War II; the British wanted to preserve their freedom and were willing to fight alone if necessary, so we stepped in and helped.

And that’s what I think this quote by Ronald Reagan on freedom is all about. As he so eloquently says, freedom is a universal right. It’s not granted or allowed only for a select few, it’s an ideal that should be within reach of everyone.

So, when America finds willing partners, it should be willing to fight on their side for freedom. As he said in another great quotation, America is the last bastion of freedom left. If we don’t stand up for liberty, then it’s unlikely that anyone else will. That makes it our duty to do so.