# Let Freedom Reign - mistake or intenitional **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133 "2004-07-01T23:58:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/1 "2004-07-01T23:58:32Z")
The press widely printed a picture of Condi’s note to Bush that sovereignty had been transferred back to Iraq. On it he wrote “Let Freedom Reign”. Was that a mistaken reference to MLK’s “Let Freedom Ring” a “clever” paraphrase, or just a coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/2 "2004-07-02T00:44:19Z")
“Let freedom reign” is a commonly used, though incorrect, alternative lyric from _[America](http://www.countrygoldusa.com/country_tisofthee.asp)_ by Samuel Francis Smith. (The one that begins “My country 'tis of thee” to the tune of _God Save the Queen_.) It is supposed to be “Let freedom ring.” MLK Jr., I presume, borrowed the phrase from the song. Of course, “Let Freedom Reign” makes perfect sense on its own, too, so who knows. GWB has some very nice penmanship. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/3 "2004-07-02T03:15:14Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > GWB has some very nice penmanship. I was impressed also. Especially as compared to my hen scratch. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/4 "2004-07-02T03:43:38Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Of course, “Let Freedom Reign” makes perfect sense on its own, too, so who knows. It seems a little oxymoronic to me. “Reign” carries a lot of monarchial dominance baggage, seemingly incompatible with freedom. If “freedom” reigns over me, how can I be free? Must stop. Head spinning… ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/5 "2004-07-02T03:53:36Z")
I was also impressed by his penmanship, and it’s my opinion that “Let Freedom Reign” was intentional, and the parallels between it and “Let Freedom Ring” are also intentional. Besides, the idea that he didn’t know exactly what he was going to write ahead of time, and that it wasn’t at least approved by (if not actually created by) his communications people seems pretty unlikely to me. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/6 "2004-07-02T13:24:32Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Besides, the idea that he didn’t know exactly what he was going to write ahead of time, and that it wasn’t at least approved by (if not actually created by) his communications people seems pretty unlikely to me. I might have written something along the lines of, “Stay as you are and you will go far…AFA”. That’s why I aint president. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/7 "2004-07-02T14:54:32Z")
Well I was just floored that he spelled “reign” correctly! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/8 "2004-07-02T15:06:38Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Well I was just floored that he spelled “reign” correctly! Maybe he _thought_ he was writing “Let freedom ring.” ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/9 "2004-07-02T16:07:50Z")
It would have been cool if he wrote: “You are sovereign, but all your base are belong to us”. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/10 "2004-07-02T16:10:27Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > GWB has some very nice penmanship. I dunno about that capital D in the middle of the word, though. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/11 "2004-07-02T16:32:33Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > It seems a little oxymoronic to me. “Reign” carries a lot of monarchial dominance baggage, seemingly incompatible with freedom. If “freedom” reigns over me, how can I be free? > > Must stop. Head spinning… I thought the same thing while waiting for the thread to load, before I knew what it was about. I came to the conclusion that maybe it was meant to be something like a sarcastic answer to the question, “Who will reign?” In instead of saying “Nobody!” or “The People Will!” you could say “Let Freedom Reign!”. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/12 "2004-07-02T16:38:44Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > I dunno about that capital D in the middle of the word, though. That’s Jack Ryan’s influence. Let the “doms” rule over the “subs”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/13 "2004-07-02T17:01:21Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > It seems a little oxymoronic to me. “Reign” carries a lot of monarchial dominance baggage, seemingly incompatible with freedom. If “freedom” reigns over me, how can I be free? > > Must stop. Head spinning… Not oxymoronic at all. In constitutional monarchies like Canada and the U.K., the Queen reigns, and the people govern. Sorta like signing “my country 'tis of thee” to the tune of “God Save the Queen.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/14 "2004-07-02T17:03:22Z")
“Singing”, dammit, “singing”! :smack: As far as I know, it’s not possible to use sign language to convey a particular tune. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/15 "2004-07-02T17:05:41Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > It seems a little oxymoronic to me. “Reign” carries a lot of monarchial dominance baggage, seemingly incompatible with freedom. If “freedom” reigns over me, how can I be free? > > Must stop. Head spinning… Well, I tried letting love reign over me, but it was too hard and required a bit too much British Invasion. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/16 "2004-07-02T17:14:04Z")
> [@Northern Piper](#): > > In constitutional monarchies like Canada and the U.K., the Queen reigns, and the people govern. You mean, like the reign in Speign? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/17 "2004-07-02T17:14:46Z")
Maybe he was making some kind of pun on “sovereign,” which also makes him less dumb that I thought. That’s scary! ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/18 "2004-07-02T17:18:06Z")
“Let Freedom Reign” is a very common phrase. For example, it was used in Nelson Mandela’s [inaugural address](http://www.chez.com/lookuphannah/mandela94inaugpta.html) . So it doesn’t seem to be either a mistaken or improper usage. Although I don’t have any earlier citations, the phrase does sound rather as if it dates back to the golden age of rhetoric, both in its reference to “reigning” and its anthromorphism of the word “Freedom”. There’s also the obvious play-on-words of wishing that Freedom would “rain” upon people. Sort of a surprise to me that people have never heard that variation on the phrase, actually. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/19 "2004-07-02T17:44:17Z")
Thanks Finagle, especially to link of Mandela speech. I stand corrected, and the SDMB once again triumphs over ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133/20 "2004-07-02T18:26:31Z")
This (the OP) can’t _possibly_ be a GQ. So, Is it true that intelligence is inversly proportional to penmanship? Anyway, the whole thing was far too historic to be anything but carefully planned. Did anyone else notice that the president’s comment obliterated (well, overshadowed) the original message? Peace, mangeorge [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-freedom-reign-mistake-or-intenitional/253133.md?page=2)