Just as every plant and animal has evolved and changed throughout its existence, so too has the definition of freedom ensured that its meaning has remained constant. Freedom has a perpetual meaning, however, humans have tried to change the definition based on moral, ethical, social and legal ideals that throughout history have been debated and have never satisfied everyone. The perpetual meaning of freedoms is that everyone, regardless of race or sex, has the power or right to act, speak or think as they want without hindrance or restriction. As time passes and new ideas flourish, the definition of freedom either flourishes along with society or takes a drastic downward spiral, usually with the opinions of humanity. In this essay we will examine how the definition of freedom has changed throughout its history. As we look back at the first groups to come to America in the 1620s, we must first look at why they left their home in England. In 1532, King Henry VIII declared the English church to be independent of the pope. This became known as the Reformation. His heirs introduced further religious reforms that led to the separatist movement. Another problem that led to the departure of the Puritans was that the Separatist Pilgrims used a Bible called the "Geneva" Bible. The Official Church of England had strong disagreements with the Geneva Bible and King James authorized the creation of a new translation. The first "King James" Bible was printed in 1611. As time passed many English people believed that many further reforms would be necessary if the church was to be successfully purified. Among the most radical of these Puritan groups were the Separatists, who formed congregations completely separate from the Church of England. Because… middle of paper… suitable people who were among those freed slaves could have been drafted into the United States Armed Forces and other branches, and paid for their service. Lincoln ordered the Union Army to accept and support the freedoms of freed slaves. However, what the Proclamation did not do was provide compensation to slave owners, it did not outlaw slavery, and it did not make freed slaves citizens. What he accomplished, however, was to demonstrate that the abolition of slavery was an obvious goal of the war, reuniting and maintaining the Union as a whole. It's really interesting when you step back and look at the whole situation. There is an ideal that these southern states want to protect that takes away the freedoms of a particular group because of something as simple as skin color. The South was upset that their freedom to take away the freedom of others was being questioned.