Prompt:
Charles Dickens’ famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” hints at the contradictory nature of the period we’ve been studying. This was an era marked by both the expansion of and limitations to human liberty. Consider the following questions: What were some of the different ways in which people of this era expressed their desire for political, personal, economic, or intellectual “liberty”? Did freedom come in all forms or mean the same thing for everyone? What were some of the forces working against human personal or intellectual freedom? Utilize at least eight sources from Lesson Modules 1-4 and discuss whether you see this as a time dominated by liberation or constraint.
