Read passage “John Adams Acclaims the Spirit of Liberty.”
Incorporate answers into a cohesive commentary with research to support your argument. The paper should be 600 to 800 words in length, not counting the title page and Works Cited page, and should address the following:
1) Are Americans today as filled with the spirit of liberty as they were in 1765? Why or why not?

2) Does John Adams’ claim that “people, even in the lowest ranks, have become more attentive to their liberties, more inquisitive about them, and more determined to defend them than they were ever before known or had occasion to be” still hold true today?

3) What factors influence the spirit of liberty in Americans today? Does it still produce a sense of unity, as Adams believed it did in his day?

Finally, watch the brief video, "Human Dignity and the Freedom to Choose" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Tuszu3oOU&index=25&list=PL177E5F9C9F3F0099. Think about what you read in the passage from Adams’ journal and heard in Prof. James Otteson’s video and discuss:

4) How has the freedom to choose -- in whatever aspect of your life you wish to address -- impacted your sense of human dignity? Pin this down to a single incident or aspect of your life. Be specific. If you wish, you may choose, instead, a matter in which you were denied the freedom to choose and how that impacted your sense of human dignity.

Offer specific examples and details to support your points of view. You must include at least two reliable, bylined sources of your information -- in addition to the Adams passage and the Otteson video -- on a Works Cited page at the end of your submission.