Origins of Freedom is a sweeping, eloquent exploration of how human civilization has gradually, and often painfully, moved toward the ideal of liberty—not through conquest, but through thought. From ancient Athens to modern democracies, from Indigenous philosophies to Enlightenment revolutions, John R. Schneider traces the intellectual and cultural lineage of freedom as a lived, evolving idea. This is not just a history of laws and governments, but a journey through the hearts and minds of those who dared to imagine a better world. With lyrical storytelling and profound insight, Schneider reveals how liberty has always been a dialogue—a tension between order and freedom, individual and community, power and principle. The book examines the philosophical roots of law, the role of myth and reason, the contributions of Indigenous governance, and the birth of constitutions and democratic frameworks. Along the way, it celebrates the thinkers, rebels, and forgotten voices who helped shape the ever-unfinished project of human freedom. In a time when truth is contested and liberty increasingly threatened by apathy, Origins of Freedom challenges readers to re-engage with the principles that have carried humanity forward. It reminds us that freedom is not inherited—it is earned. Not static, but alive. And not guaranteed, but chosen—one idea, one act, one generation at a time.