Not all people view the word freedom the same way as everyone else. Because it is such an abstract word, there are many possibilities of different views for freedom. Great people that have made a mark in history don't all think alike. People like Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr., both very different people and from very different time periods but both believe in freedom. .
Thomas Jefferson's view on freedom is the type of freedom that most Americans will understand. His view of freedom is basically all men should have rights that one can exercise and also not have a tyrant abusing his power over the country. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and had chosen material from other known philosophers such as Rousseau. When he writes that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights", he agrees with Rousseau's emphasis. When he wrote the constitution, congress didn't really dislike a sovereign power from across the ocean, but rather, congress opposed the fact that King George was oppressing the people of the United States. Freedom, to Jefferson, also means that people must have a say on what goes on in the government. For example, Jefferson states in his document, "He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislature". When Jefferson states "He", it is directed at King George. An example of when King George abuses his power as king and ruler of the country is also stated in the Declaration of Independence, "He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices and the amount of payment of their salaries". Meaning that King George bent the corrupted the judges by blackmailing or bribing them with losing their position in office or higher salaries. .
King's view of freedom is in a way similar and different. King's view of freedom is being treating equally as all people, meaning not to be oppressed because of the reason of colored skin.