Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is a spirited reexamination of the most famous words in American history, and the remarkable international context from which they emerged.
Thomas Jefferson never actually penned the phrase for which he is best known. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how he originally put it, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion speaks volumes. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a daisy chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and the English Channel and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--the words themselves are so slippery as to practically fall off the tongue--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified not only the hopes (and debates) of a group of rebel-statesmen, but also those of an earlier generation of Enlightenment thinkers who could barely imagine a country like America.
Historian Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness unmasks the transnational history of this most American of ideas. Before Jefferson, there was the English historian Catherine Macaulay, who wrote in 1768 of the "Virtue, liberty, and happiness of society." Samuel Johnson used the phrase "pursuit of happiness" in his 1759 novella Rasselas (a book whose working title was "The Choice of Life"). John Wilkes, a radical journalist and politician, toppled a British prime minister in the early 1760s as supporters on both sides of the Atlantic chanted "Wilkes and Liberty " (he inspired the men who would proclaim, "No taxation without representation"). Meanwhile, in France, Diderot, Voltaire, and Rousseau would debate these ideas while corresponding with thinkers in England. Everyone, it seemed, had "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" on their minds; this book shows why, and reveals how these still nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Synopsis
A spirited reexamination of the most famous words in American history, and the remarkable international context from which they emerged.
Thomas Jefferson never actually penned the phrase for which he is best known. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how he originally put it, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion speaks volumes. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a daisy chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified the hopes (and debates) not only of a group of rebel-statesmen but also of an earlier generation of British thinkers who could barely imagine a country like America.
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness unmasks the transnational history of this most American of phrases. Before Jefferson, there was the English historian Catharine Macaulay, who wrote in 1768 of the "Virtue, liberty, and happiness of society." Samuel Johnson used the phrase "pursuit of happiness" in his 1759 novella Rasselas (a book whose working title was "The Choice of Life"). Everyone, it seemed, had "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on their minds; Moore shows why, and reveals how these still-nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Includes 16 pages of black-and-white images
Synopsis
A spirited group biography that explores the origins of the most famous words in American history, and the remarkable transatlantic context from which they emerged.
Thomas Jefferson never actually penned the phrase for which he is best known. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how he originally put it, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion speaks volumes. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a long chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified the hopes (and debates) not only of a group of rebel-statesmen but also of an earlier generation of British thinkers who could barely imagine a country like America.
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness tells the true story of what may be the most successful import in US history: the "American dream." Centered on the life of Benjamin Franklin, and featuring figures including the cultural giant Samuel Johnson, the ground-breaking historian Catharine Macaulay, the firebrand politician John Wilkes, and revolutionary activist Thomas Paine, this book looks at the generation that preceded the Declaration in 1776. Everyone, it seemed, had "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on their minds; Moore shows why, and reveals how these still-nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Includes 16 pages of black-and-white images
Synopsis
A spirited group biography that explores the origins of the most iconic words in American history, and the remarkable transatlantic context from which they emerged.
The most famous phrase in American history once looked quite different. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how Thomas Jefferson put it in the first draft of the Declaration, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion matters. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a long chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified the hopes (and debates) not only of a group of rebel-statesmen but also of an earlier generation of British thinkers who could barely imagine a country like the United States of America.
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness tells the true story of what may be the most successful import in US history: the "American dream." Centered on the life of Benjamin Franklin, and featuring figures including the cultural giant Samuel Johnson, the ground-breaking historian Catharine Macaulay, the firebrand politician John Wilkes, and revolutionary activist Thomas Paine, this book looks at the generation that preceded the Declaration in 1776. Everyone, it seemed, had "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on their minds; Moore shows why, and reveals how these still-nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Includes 16 pages of black-and-white images
Synopsis
"Gripping . . . . vibrant . . . A wonderfully absorbing and stimulating book." --Sarah Bakewell, NBCC Award-winning author of How to Live and Humanly Possible
A spirited group biography that explores the origins of the most iconic words in American history, and the remarkable transatlantic context from which they emerged.
The most famous phrase in American history once looked quite different. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how Thomas Jefferson put it in the first draft of the Declaration, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion matters. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a long chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified the hopes (and debates) not only of a group of rebel-statesmen but also of an earlier generation of British thinkers who could barely imagine a country like the United States of America.
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness tells the true story of what may be the most successful import in US history: the "American dream." Centered on the friendship between Benjamin Franklin and the British publisher William Strahan, and featuring figures including the cultural giant Samuel Johnson, the ground-breaking historian Catharine Macaulay, the firebrand politician John Wilkes, and revolutionary activist Thomas Paine, this book looks at the generation that preceded the Declaration in 1776. Everyone, it seemed, had "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on their minds; Moore shows why, and reveals how these still-nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Includes 16 pages of black-and-white images
Synopsis
"Gripping . . . Vibrant . . . A wonderfully absorbing and stimulating book." --Sarah Bakewell, NBCC Award-winning author of How to Live and Humanly Possible
" A] rollicking account . . . The book's compulsive readability is a tribute to Moore's skill at cracking open the pre-revolutionary period." --Charles Arrowsmith, The Washington Post
A spirited group biography that explores the origins of the most iconic words in American history, and the remarkable transatlantic context from which they emerged.
The most famous phrase in American history once looked quite different. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how Thomas Jefferson put it in the first draft of the Declaration, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion matters. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a long chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified the hopes (and debates) not only of a group of rebel-statesmen but also of an earlier generation of British thinkers who could barely imagine a country like the United States of America.
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness tells the true story of what may be the most successful import in US history: the "American dream." Centered on the friendship between Benjamin Franklin and the British publisher William Strahan, and featuring figures including the cultural giant Samuel Johnson, the ground-breaking historian Catharine Macaulay, the firebrand politician John Wilkes, and revolutionary activist Thomas Paine, this book looks at the generation that preceded the Declaration in 1776. Everyone, it seemed, had "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on their minds; Moore shows why, and reveals how these still-nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Includes 16 pages of black-and-white images