In the context of the Australian colonies in the period of the American Revolution, ‘liberty’ and ‘self-government’ shifted from the concept of British colonies to basic political virtues of a new nation. In its earliest usage, ‘liberty formed a part of a legalistic understanding of the rights of individual citizens under British law, the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights. This is because colonists felt they had the freedom to be productive without interference a freedom they felt the British were violating through policies such as the imposition of taxes without consent.

The phenomenon of liberty over time evolved into applying to concepts drawn from the Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke as the revolution was on full swing. From English constitutional rights it moved to ‘natural rights’ – fundamental liberties such as life, property and liberty. Thomas Paine just escalated it with ‘Common Sense’, claiming liberty couldn’t exist with monarchy and calling for independence.

As did ‘self-governance’. First of the local assemblies who were subject to British control, it evolved to what is understood today as sovereignty of the popular. The same held true for the Continental Congress and state constitutions, as the colonists attempted to create republican governments that would not be influenced by the British empire.

Thus, by the Revolution’s end ‘liberty’, concept was linked with ‘republicanism’ – individual and composite freedom and self-rule. In a critical manner, self governance evolved during the period of articles of confederation and later during the constitution through managing both state and federal relations and at same time actively involving citizens in political decision making. These changes set the context for the United States, but arguments for or against them and specifically with respect to equality, would continue. That is the way, in which ideas of the revolution about liberty and self-government influenced future movements for justice and democracy.