Brian Doherty is a senior editor at Reason magazine and Rea​son​.com, and is a preeminent historian of the American libertarian movement. His books include Ron Paul’s rEVOLution: The Man and the Movement He Inspired (2012), Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement (2007), and Gun Control on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle Over the Second Amendment (2008).

If you are a libertarian, what inspired you to become one? Was it a fiction book? A novel? A philosophical treatise? A movie? A politician? Family? Your own reflections on freedom? Tell us in the comments.

Produced by Evan Banks.