Before I really get started, there's just one more thing to get out of the way: definitions. Big, abstract concepts like 'freedom' can be difficult to discuss unless you lay out, from the beginning, exactly what you mean when you use the word. It's very helpful to have a solid cartesian origin point around which the resulting discussion can orient.
Also, as a personal note, it also avoids the 'moving target' strategy of argument. Too many times, I've been involved in conversations regarding some loaded concept or another, made some argument or refutation, and had the other person suddenly shift the definition of whatever it is we were talking about rather than reply to the argument or refutation. It annoys me when others do that to me, and I'm not going to put up with it in my own thinking, either.
Freedom. Merriam Webster has this to say on the subject: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freedom . "The quality or state of being free." Then it branches into numerous sub-definitions and examples. 1.a being "The absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action." 1.g is "Boldness of conception or execution." The rest can essentially be traced back to one of those two. While this is a useful definition for most practical purposes, it's not so helpful as a foundation for real abstract thought. Something's missing.
Free. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free. This is a little more helpful. 1.a - 1.d look attractive, but invariably view freedom through the lens of interaction with other people. While that's an important and highly visible perspective, it dissolves when you put an individual in isolation.
2.a: "Not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being: choosing or capable of choosing for itself." This, by my reckoning, is the core bedrock on which all the other sub-definitions are based (excluding, of course, other non-personal definitions of free, such as a 'free lunch' or 'having a free evening'). It's also the closest definition to the one I had in mind for the present discussion.
By folding the definition of 'free' into 'freedom' and adding a personal framework, I come up with this: Personal freedom is: The quality or state of not being determined by anything beyond one's own nature or being: choosing or capable of choosing for oneself." To this, I'll add a clarification about the nature of determination and choice: The definition is not simply referring to external action, but also to how one reacts to stimuli and processes the input from the senses. Freedom of both thought and action are included.
There, that about does it for now. Tomorrow, I aim to tackle the definition of 'responsibility.' See you then!
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