In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many people proclaimed their desire for liberty and equality. However, the extent to which different groups were able to achieve greater liberty and equality varied widely.
In many cases, white men of property and education were able to gain greater political and economic freedom during this period. This was particularly true in Western Europe and North America, where the liberal ideas of the Enlightenment and the American Revolution helped to promote individual rights and limited government. These men gained greater access to political power, economic opportunities, and educational resources, and they were able to exercise greater control over their own lives.
However, for other groups, such as women, people of color, and the working classes, the struggle for liberty and equality was more difficult. Women were largely excluded from political and economic power, and people of color were often enslaved, colonized, or subjected to institutional racism. The working classes faced long hours, low wages, and poor working conditions, and they were often denied the right to organize or to advocate for their own interests.
The meaning of liberty and equality in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries varied depending on one's social and political context. For many white men of property and education, liberty and equality meant the ability to exercise individual rights and to participate in political and economic life. For women, people of color, and the working classes, liberty and equality often meant a struggle for recognition, representation, and basic human rights.
Today, liberty and equality continue to be important values, although their meaning has evolved and expanded over time. For many people, liberty means the ability to exercise personal autonomy and to be free from undue interference by the state or other actors. Equality means the ability to access resources, opportunities, and protections on an equal basis regardless of one's race, gender, sexuality, or other characteristics.