"Liberty" is the result of a long and often convoluted journey. For the last two years, I have been reading a lot of American history and taking courses on the topic from the The Teaching Company's Great Courses. My 11th grade American History teacher, Miss Gwen Williams, is responsible for my love of American history, especially the formative years of the Union. An amazing teacher, she made history relevant, alive, and inspiring to teenagers in a small town in Texas. Pretty amazing teaching!

One course, "American Ideals: Founding a Republic of Virtue", developed by Professor Daniel N. Robinson reminded me of Miss Williams' teachings about the courage of the men and women who defied Great Britain, the most powerful nation on earth at the time, to found a fledgling nation based on the ideals of the Enlightenment. For the first time in history, people (OK, men) wrote a document declaring it to be their right to establish a government of their own choosing. Imagine the fortitude that was required!

"Liberty!" was the rallying cry of the Revolutionists and the cry of my own desire at 16 to be independent. A curious juxtaposition of the historical and the personal that begged for expression even this late in my life.