The state of being free; liberty; self-determination ; absence of restraint;the opposite of slavery.The power of acting, in the character of a moral personality , according to thedictates of the will, without other check, hindrance, or prohibition than such as may beimposed by just and necessary laws and the duties of social life.The prevalence, in the government and constitution of a country, of such a systemof laws and institutions as secure civil liberty to the individual citizen.
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
