Do Human Beings Have an Innate Instinct to Be Free?

Throughout the history of time, human beings have been unhappy with their situations, have wanted to be in a different situation. From the serfs of the Middle Ages, to the slaves of the Civil War, to the working-class people of today. So does this mean that people have an innate instinct to be free?

A serf was a person that lived on the land of someone such as a lord, and worked for them. The were a tenant farmer for the lord, and were basically owned by them. Serfs were bound to the land on which they worked, and had to provide their own food and clothing from their own efforts of work for their lord. Though the serf worked very hard for his own profit, a portion of it had to be given back to the lord on whose land the serf was living. Serfs had very little freedom, and could not even leave the lord's land without the lord's permission. The serf also could not change his job, marry, or even get rid of his own property without his lord's permission. The serfs had to stay on the land, and if a new lord came to take the serfs, the serfs would be transferred to the lord, along with the the land. Serfs were often treated horribly, and could not do anything to compensate for something their lord did or had done.There were only three ways for a serf to become free: "manumission, enfranchisement, or escape."  (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/535485/serfdom) Obviously, it was very rare for a serf to be freed by manumission or enfranchisement, so many serfs had to resort to trying to escape their lords. This could either end very well for the serf, or very very badly. Lords did not like to lose their serfs, as they thought of them as property, such as animals and carts. So if a serf was caught trying to escape, they would be punished severely. However, this did not stop some serfs from trying and succeeding in escape. So, in answer to the original question, yes, i think that humans have an innate instinct to be free, because they are willing to risk their lives to be free, as serfs, and slaves all did. 
Web Citations: 
1. "Serfdom -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. . http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/535485/serfdom 
Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Costumes_of_Slaves_or_Serfs_from_the_Sixth_to_the_Twelfth_Centuries.png/275px-Costumes_of_Slaves_or_Serfs_from_the_Sixth_to_the_Twelfth_Centuries.png