What is liberty?

What is liberty?
Since the founding of America, perhaps the most fundamental ideal expressed has been that of liberty. It is found in all of the early documents of this country: The Declaration of Independence outlined "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" as the three inalienable rights of the people of this country, and the Bill of Rights was created to preserve individual liberties. Because the concept of democracy recognizes a fundamental worth of the individual, liberties are the personal freedoms to which we are entitled as human beings. Personal freedom also means freedom from government control, and all democratic governments minimize the role that government plays in lives of its people.

source: page 21,The Handy Politics Answer Book by Gina Misiroglu