Description: A fascinating examination of what “the pursuit of happiness” meant to our nation’s Founders and how that famous phrase defined their lives and became the foundation of our democracy.The Declaration of Independence identified “the pursuit of happiness” as one of our unalienable rights, along with life and liberty. Jeffrey Rosen, the president of the National Constitution Center, profiles six of the most influential founders—Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton—to show what pursuing happiness meant in their lives.By reading the classical Greek and Roman moral philosophers who inspired the Founders, Rosen shows us how they understood the pursuit of happiness as a quest for being good, not feeling good—the pursuit of lifelong virtue, not short-term pleasure. Among those virtues were the habits of industry, temperance, moderation, and sincerity, which the Founders viewed as part of a daily struggle for self-improvement, character development, and calm self-mastery. They believed that political self-government required personal self-government. For all six Founders, the pursuit of virtue was incompatible with enslavement of African Americans, although the Virginians betrayed their own principles.The Pursuit of Happiness is more than an elucidation of the Declaration’s famous phrase; it is a revelatory journey into the minds of the Founders, and a deep, rich, and fresh understanding of the foundation of our democracy.
Price: 24.89 USD
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
End Time: 2024-11-05T03:23:18.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.7 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money back or replacement (buyer's choice)
Book Title: Pursuit of Happiness : How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America
Number of Pages: 368 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Topic: Modern / 18th Century, United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800), Ethics & Moral Philosophy, United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775), History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical, Political, Historical
Item Height: 1.2 in
Publication Year: 2024
Genre: Philosophy, Biography & Autobiography, History
Item Weight: 17.9 Oz
Item Length: 9 in
Author: Jeffrey Rosen
Item Width: 6 in
Format: Hardcover
