According to Jacob Hornberger, the United States in the 1890s was a nation with no income tax, no trade restrictions and no border issues. It was a country that truly enjoyed economic liberty which is one of the many aspects of freedom and one that is no longer applied in the United States today. Throughout his lecture, Hornberger cites the fundamental rights, created by Thomas Jefferson, on privileges given to the people that pre-exist the government, such as the right to live. His argument focuses on the fact that life is sustained through labor and the trades of goods and services; therefore, economic liberty is essential to the survival of the human species. He also criticizes the requirements that the United States imposes on those who want to specialize in a certain profession by stating that such requirement, along with others that influence an individual’s decision on who to trade with, violate the fundamental rights on which the United States was founded.