Humans have over the years been embattled in the quest for liberty. In the U.S. the Liberty Tree was a popular elm tree that stood in Boston near Boston Common in the times prior the American Revolution. This was a symbol of the fight for liberty from the British colonies. As a result of the fight against British colonial, the United States became independent. This has not ended our struggles though. There have been several struggles for different forms of liberty in our country. The popular statement by Thomas Jefferson that “the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” is a reflection of the continued struggles for liberty. This essay will explore the University of California Davis Wall Street protest in relation to this quote.

Thomas Jefferson is one of the most influential personalities and founding fathers of the United States. He is known for writing the Declaration of Independence and was a major force in the American Revolution. One of his famous quotes regarding liberty is; “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” (Scott 75). In Jefferson’s view, the struggle for independence against the British was just the beginning and not an end to struggle for liberty. He is trying to remind everyone that, there will always be new form of resistance against bad leadership and the consequences is no different from the conventional fight for liberty during the American Revolution (Scott 75).

Since independence, America has seen a number of struggles for different form of liberties. This is consistent with what Jefferson foresaw in his quote about liberty. Even today, people are fighting for freedom from different forms of oppression. For example the Occupy Wall Street protest is a reminder that liberty must be renewed (DeLuca, Sean and Ye Sun 496). Regardless of time, situation or place, there will always be fight for freedom.

The UC Davis Wall Street Protest is a major incidence in the contemporary United States. Students all over the country joined hands in the protest against the social and economic inequality in the modern world. In this particular event, the students were demonstrating against authorities. The UC Davis police took stern measures. One of the officers resulted to pepper spray passive protesters along the university pavement (DeLuca, Sean and Ye Sun 489). This in Jefferson’s quote reflects what he says as renewing liberty with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Both the protesters and the authorities in this situation suffered the consequences.

In conclusion, the UC Davis Wall Street protest is a reminder that the struggle for liberty is never over. It has to be renewed, as argued by Jefferson in his quote. He had foreseen the recurring injustices in the world, and he understood that the only way was to refresh liberty with struggle. In any struggle for liberty, it is common for the oppressor and the oppressed to suffer the consequences of the fights. This is what Jefferson calls; the blood of patriots and tyrants. The quote is applicable in today’s world as seen in the UC Davis Wall Street Protest as well as in other parts of the world. The Arab uprising in this decade is a clear indication of the relevancy of Jefferson’s quote.