In Order to Be Happy
To start our series, Jeffrey Rosen and scholar Robbie George trace how the meaning of the pursuit of happiness has changed. Then Ken Burns shows how self-reflection has given him new perspectives on what the founders faced 250 years ago.
The pursuit of happiness is one of the most famous phrases in American history, and when America's founders wrote it in the Declaration of Independence, they intended it to mean happiness through lifelong learning and self-improvement.
To start our series, Jeffrey Rosen and scholar Robbie George trace how the meaning of the pursuit of happiness is changed. Then Ken Burns shows how, even as he has spent his entire life trying to figure out the United States. Malley's self-reflection has given him new perspectives on what the founders faced 250 years ago.
Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
Watch and Reflect
Jeffrey Rosen on Virtues
Robbie George on the Founders
Ken Burns on the Declaration's Legacy
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Credits
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America at 250 Civic Toolkit
The revolutionary ideas of 1776 laid the foundation for America's story - chapters that continue to shape our nation today. This toolkit gives you everything you need to explore the founding documents and the enduring vision they set in motion.
