Book
The pursuit of happiness : how classical writers on virtue inspired the lives of the founders and defined America
Published 2024 by Simon & Schuster, LLC, New York, NY
ISBN 9781668002476
Bib Id 2638934
Description 355 pages ; 24 cm
More Details
Leader
02798cam a2200409 i 4500
ISBN
9781668002476 (hardcover) $29.00
1668002477
Call #
973 R
Title
The pursuit of happiness : how classical writers on virtue inspired the lives of the founders and defined America
Publication Information
2024 by Simon & Schuster, LLC, New York, NY :
Description
355 pages ; 24 cm
viii, 292 pages ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary
"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."--Amazon
FORMATS
SERIES
TAGS
Availability
| header | Locations | header | header |
|---|