The European Freedom that's Illegal in the USA

America is known as the 'Land of the Free', yet Americans don't have the freedom to explore the land? In majority of the USA, that's correct. The Right to Roam (AKA the Freedom to Roam) is a custom in Europe that allows anyone to wander in open countryside, whether the land is privately or publicly owned. So where do property rights end and human rights begin in the European Union versus the United States? Let's take a look.

Episode 118 | #germany #usa #economics #law #legal #property #propertyrights #landuse #planning #zoning #urbanplanning #europe #norway #sweden #germany #legalsystem #expatlife #movingabroad #americaningermany #america #livingabroad #americansreact #eurozone | Filmed August 24th, 2023

Jump to Your Favorite Topic 🙌 :
0:00 Intro
02:30 What is the Right to Roam?
09:25 "The Devil's Rope" & American Property Rights
13:16 American Freedom Not To Roam\
20:36 Do Good Fences make Good Neighbors?

🎥 More Videos to Check Out:

📝 Sources Cited in the Video:

US Court Case on Firing a Warning Shot in Montana
Kaestner v. Masten, 2012 MT 286N, ¶¶ 25-28, 368 Mont. 413 (2012).

Using Force To Defend Property: Legal Or Not? by Wilton H. Strickland

Some of the links above may be affiliate links. At no cost to you, The Black Forest Family may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

🌲 Want more fresh from the Black Forest content? Connect with us!

[TypeAshton]

Hi Everyone! We hope you enjoy this Sunday's video about a topic that we had a LOT of fun "exploring" (*is it too early for a Dad joke?). 😂 In all seriousness though - we actually have a pretty huge announcement coming to our channel this Wednesday regarding the "future" of our presence on Youtube. As much as I hate "baiting", I want to encourage everyone to be on the lookout for a short video explanation this Wednesday since it isn't part of our normal schedule and we would greatly appreciate your feedback and support. ❤ - Ashton

[lise]

I am a swedish forest owner and I create paths for the public in my forest, to show the most beautiful areas in it, because I am proud of it.

[Tstopmotion]

I grew up in New York and my family regularly trespassed on private forest even climbing fences. When telling friends, they were often shocked and considered it worse than doing drugs to go on someone else’s land. After seeing your show, I realize my family must have learned this from my grandmother who grew up in the Black Forest.

[Onnarashi]

As a Norwegian, I find it ironic that in the "Land of the Free" they restrict people's movements so much, whereas here in "socialist" Norway everyone has the freedom to roam in nature.

[thierrypauwels]

As a European I went to Wyoming to view the 2017 Solar eclipse, a bit North of Lingle. We arrived at a beautiful spot, and there the landowner was standing making sure that all eclipse chasers remained on the state land and did not trespass on her private land.

[reinhardrsuperbikeschreck]

When I sold a mountaibike to an American here in Bavaria, he gazed me in disbelieve, when I told him, he could go anywhere he just wanted to go to. No complaining and no shooting. For me something not even worth considering, for him a big surprise. Small country, but big freedom here, thank you for reminding me of this.
Excellent, passionate contribution!

[DiegatusStudios]

16:24 I'm surprised by the "private beach" signs. Here in Spain the law guarantees that the sea and its surroundings as beaches must be open to the public, a law that in a way forbids private beaches. The selfishness of owning a beach looks crazy to me, like why forbid anyone to enter a part of nature, it's like I decide I own a river and no one can use it or visit it.

[ksjlb]

I as an American did not actually know that "Right to Roam" actually existed anywhere. This is not something that was ever taught in school or even something that I picked up on as we visited Germany on exchange in '86 and '88. I have been a city dweller most of my life so it may never affect any land I have, but "respectfully" roaming farmland would make things easier in rural areas. Awesome topic and one to think about should the population start loving others equally instead of itself more.

[flyonwall]

One thing I didn't hear in this video was insurance liability. When I was a kid in upstate NY, No Trespassing signs were few and far between. Now days they are everywhere. Too many land owners have been sued by someone that may have been injured on their property.

[dreamystone]

This might be a bit extreme, but a couple of weeks after a really bad downpour, my grandpa visited our cabin in the woods (no roads, no civilization for an hour and a half, built entirely by my family, cabin in the woods), only to find a makeshift wooden doorstop and a massive rock in front of the door. The lock was broken, and the linen closet had obviously been raided as 2/3 of it was neatly folded and placed on the table in the main room right next to a bottle of homemade rakia which we assume was left in apology. Other than that, everything looked as we left it. The only indication that they used the beds was the pile of laundry they left us, the bed covers and decorative pillows were all replaced perfectly. It even looked like they tried to fix our broken waterline that's consistently getting vandalized by a local bear.
My grandma was a bit upset with the intrusion, but other than that, we all just accepted that these people probably got caught in a bad situation and were desperate for shelter, and clearly did their best to be respect our space despite breaking in.

[vladutzuli]

When I first learned that in the USA people don't walk into fields or forests or other such open spaces for fear that they might get killed by the owner I was completely shocked because it simply never occured to me that such a thing would happen in the 21st century. It just sounds so....feudal.

[glennet]

I live in Switzeland and love the fact that the farmers smile and greet you pleasantly if you are crossing their land. But walkers respect the land, close gates or electric fences behind them, don't leave litter, don't trample crops and don't disturb the animals. But in England and Australia (I don't know about America) many walkers leave a trail of litter behind them and generally vandalize the environment.

[czlowik]

This video made me realize I, as a Polish person, never worried about trespassing. Ever. I can't fathom how trespassing in a forest is even possible.

Also, how can a country not have "if its not forbidden - it's allowed" as a rule is beyond me

[thomaspeters]

Living for 10 months in Georgia (about 30 years ago) during my university time, I once wanted to go out to a walk in the woods, just like I was used to in Germany.
So I picked my bicycle (even this made me a weirdo), rode it out of town, searching for the walking ways in the woods I expected to find. All I actually found were fences and "No trespassing" signs, leaving me really puzzled and disappointed. Thanks for clearing that up. For me, this definitely is another reason to live in Europe rather than in the US.

[theedgeofoblivious]

As someone born in the U.S., it's absolutely terrifying every time I find out another right that people in other countries have, that I was never even told was a right. The more I think about it, the more I think "Land of the Free" is sarcasm.

[billpetersen]

To me, a whole cultural mindset is needed to have this privilege. It’s about respecting the common good, what is good for society, nature. Same with the freedom of speech, and gun ownership. It comes with individual responsibility, to be mindful, of other people’s freedoms to be.
More respect, less fear.

[timelston]

My home state of Oregon designated its entire coastline as a "public highway" so property rights could not infringe on the public's enjoyment of its beaches. I was surprised to learn not all coastal states allowed public access to all their beaches.

[almitrahopkins]

I’m a Native American, not just an American. Our traditional beliefs are that no one can actually own the land.

The house you build is yours, but the land belongs to no one. If you plant crops, those are yours and I won’t disturb them. If I plant crops in the land that the law says are yours, those are mine, but you can have them too. We place a greater value on respecting the individual, not the law. Our traditional views didn’t take into account the commercialization of agriculture, because it is an alien concept.

[CrimsonVipera]

I'm Polish, currently living in the UK. I lived in a large town but surrounded by fields, lakes and forests. I knew how to forage for mushrooms and berries before I knew how to write their names. Before I started school, I knew how to McGuyver a fishing rod, bow and arrows, and a lean-to shelter from stuff I could find in the forest. When we still had winters, we'd go ice skating or just on walks across the frozen lake. As teenagers, me and my friends spent more time in fields than anywhere else - the best place for a summer party is on the beach by the lakeside (in a forest). There were 4 of us in a 2 bedroom flat (my parents, my brother and me) but I never missed nature. Now I live in a house with a garden and I feel constricted. I can't imagine having as much land as the USA has and not being able to access any of it.

[gosh]

As an European every time I’ve heard the phrase “private beach” I thought it meant that someone owned a private island. Never had it occurred to me that Americans don’t have access to regular beaches