Orlando Patterson describes what he believes are the three basic forms of freedom in his book, Freedom. These three forms are personal freedom, sovereignal freedom, and civic freedom. At its core, personal freedom is doing what you want without stepping on the rights of other people. Unlike personal freedom, sovereignal freedom does not require the person to think about anyone else when they make decisions. This type of freedom is often used by dictators, or people with immense power, to make sure they get what they want. The last kind of freedom, civic freedom is the ability to participate fully in the local community and government. This final form of freedom is something that we as Americans take for granted. Having the right to vote is a massive form of civic freedom, yet many capable adults don’t participate in the elections.