Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
In the area of civil rights, a strong distinction is made between freedom and slavery and there is conflict between people who think all races, religions, genders, and social classes should be equally free and people who think freedom is the exclusive right of certain groups.
[5] Wendy Hui Kyong Chun explains these differences in terms of their relation to institutions: "Liberty is linked to human subjectivity; freedom is not.
Liberty, like discipline, is linked to institutions and political parties, whether liberal or libertarian; freedom is not.
Phillip Petit and Jamie Susskind argue that both operative and reserve control are needed for democracy and freedom.