The 1908 fall of Hamidian tyranny with its awesome censorship apparatus suddenly made it safe for Ottoman subjects to speak out and openly discuss issues hitherto best avoided. A yearning for political freedom and free speech had long been stealthily aired through different channels; now it could be pronounced out loud. In scores of journals and newspapers that popped up almost overnight in the lifeless field of the Ottoman press, "freedom" became a resounding buzzword. Notions such as "free speech", "constitutional rights", "political participation", and "suffrage", became central in public exchanges in Turkish and Arabic, a discourse that was accompanied by much enthusiasm. But what did it actually mean for Ottoman subjects to move into an era of freedom, and how was it compatible with society's political values, cultural norms, and the ongoing reality of the sultanate? The discussion of freedom, the sources show, was as confused as it was excited. Alongside delight with the new liberties, warnings were voiced about the hazards of freedom, if mishandled. Such concerns regarding the abuses of freedom would be vindicated, in part, by many who would bring unsuitable concepts to the field of public action. This was best reflected in the written press. In the proposed paper, I will explore the rhetoric of political freedom, primarily freedom of expression, in post-1908 Arabic journals, newspapers, and some other writings. Examining its underlying tenets, I will offer an assessment of both the expectations and concerns of educated Arabs at the close of an era (and the dawn of a new one). Scrutinizing the themes and language of this discourse more closely than has been done so far, my paper will offer a more nuanced and essentially more accurate view of the intricate quest for political freedom toward the end of Ottoman history.