Ben Franklin PLN

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” Ben Franklin ,1759

Benjamin Franklin, in his quote, states that those willing to give up personal rights for more security don’t deserve either. Franklin explains if people are willing to give up some personal rights to gain a small amount of protection, they deserve neither.

Benjamin Franklin was accurate when he expressed that giving up personal rights for security is an act of cowardice, in which the person deserves neither freedom or safety. Everything begins with a small act and then grows bigger. If I let the NSA search my phone, which is only a small invasion of my privacy,  they will begin to feel as if they have the authority to search my computer, my backpack, then my locker, and they will progressively start to become more invasive. The NSA can say they are intruding and invading my property if it is in the name of safety and security. Yet slowly they are taking away my freedoms and my personal rights. And in the end because I wanted to have more security, I would deserve neither because I made a naive decision. Franklin’s statement was also correct because America was founded on giving people more freedoms not more security. This is evident in the Bill of Rights, which are the most iconic freedoms that Americans have and is the reason why many people immigrate to America. If Americans were to give up personal freedoms for security, our country may as well not have even started a revolution against Britain or written the Bill of Rights. Americans could’ve had any imperialistic nation surveil us 24/7, but to sacrifice our rights to our own government contradicts what we “stand” for. It is impossible to be “...the land of the free..” (Star Spangled Banner) if we sacrifice our freedoms for security, making us deserving of neither.