Laconia Human Relations Committee: What does freedom mean in a society governed by laws?

In 1784 the framers of the New Hampshire Constitution confirmed that we are all born “equally free and independent.” It says that our government must originate from the people, must be founded on the consent of the people, and must be established and operated for the general good.

The framers envisioned a free and independent people who have a right to liberty, to own property, and to seek and obtain happiness. These rights are essential to every person and are natural elements of being born free and independent.

Freedom comes with responsibilities. Government must be established and operated for the general good. We, the people, have certain responsibilities as well. The New Hampshire Constitution expresses these mutual societal obligations in part 1, article 3:

“When men enter into a state of society, they surrender up some of their natural rights to that society, in order to ensure the protection of others; and without such an equivalent, the surrender is void.”

In other words, individual freedom must be balanced by consideration for the general good. Our right to seek happiness must be balanced with protection of other members of society.

While we each have the right of free speech, we do not have the right to yell “fire!” in a crowded theater when there is no fire. Nor do we have the right to ignore stop signs, to keep people from attending a church, synagogue or mosque, or to smoke on an airplane.

We have the choice to live in a society that recognizes the value of each member of that society and that each of us owes a duty to that society to protect each other — even if that duty means we must surrender some of our rights. Being a free person does not mean that there are no limitations on what we can do — that would be anarchy.

How we treat all members of our society are good indicators of how perfect is our union.

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This is part of a series of essays on the topic "Toward a More Perfect Union." The Laconia Human Relations Committee envisions a world where everyone is treated with dignity, fairness, respect, and kindness.