Freedom

Cullen's claim in his book seems to be that freedom is an ideal, a goal always just always out of grasp.  Freedom is tied up in the American Dream; the idea is that to have freedom is to be unhindered from attaining the American Dream.  Of course, this dream is vague, but that is part of the point.  So freedom is like having a road to follow to one's various desires for contentment.  Jefferson's personal ideal was a very rural one.  He wanted to sustain himself through his land, so that he would not be dependent on anybody else (dependent = not independent = not free).  Furthermore, Jefferson wanted to live in his own ideas and thoughts, so he separated himself from society in a house that he himself designed.  Of course, these are the more theoretical sides to Jefferson's freedom; material comforts helped him along as well.