First published 2024
Jeffrey Rosen examines what "the pursuit of happiness" actually meant to America's Founders when they wrote those words into the Declaration of Independence. The president of the National Constitution Center focuses on six key figures: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Rosen reveals how these men drew from Greek and Roman moral philosophers to define happiness not as pleasure but as virtue. They practiced daily habits of industry, temperance, moderation, and sincerity as part of lifelong character development. The Founders believed that governing a nation required first governing oneself. Their commitment to virtue created a contradiction with slavery that the Virginians among them failed to resolve. Rosen offers readers a fresh look at the philosophical foundations that shaped American democracy.
Genres: biography, history, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figures
Setting: America, United States
Period: 18th Century
368 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster