Thomas Jefferson was a brilliant writer, the most gifted articulator of the values of the most creative generation in American political history. But as happens with brilliant people, sometimes his brilliance got the better of him. Jefferson was an heir of the natural rights philosophy of John Locke. In Locke's formulation, the holy trinity of human rights consisted of life, liberty and property. Jefferson, while drafting the Declaration of Independence, tweaked the trinity by replacing property with "the pursuit of happiness."
My father once observed that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" lines up nicely with a similar yet wildly different justification given in the Canadian (and other Commonwealth) Constitutions, "peace, order, and good government." Elevating "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" over (say) "peace, order, and good government" might be fairly read to explain the American experience with our own government.
Prof. Brands--Thanks for another thought-provoking column. I agree with your initial assessment that Jefferson, repeatedly over time, let his brilliance master his clarity and/or consistency. I'm generally quite happy to enjoy the play of his mind and pen, but it does make defining his position(s) on various issues a vexed endeavor. "Pursuit of happiness" may well have been a shrewd compromise over "property" in his then-current political context--or, as you note, simply a rhetorical flourish. He did write at different times about the necessity of property ownership--his "yeoman farmer"--as a crucial foundation for the republic's chances of success. As you undoubtedly know, he linked this to the argument that a man dependent on wages does not "own himself," a foundation for his choosing how to pursue happiness. This idea went different directions in Britain and Europe, but it fits, if rather queasily, with his waffling on the role of slavery in his life and that of the empire of liberty. To me this notion of needing an economic foundation puts a crimp in the unqualified glorification of the pursuit happiness, then or now.
Brands correctly writes "our material standard of living, which has long been the envy of the world." Several decades ago, I read that if one is worth even $50,000, s/he's worth more than 99% of the people in the world. Of course, we'd have to adjunct that figure today for inflation. Let's say the figure today is $100,000. (I'm sure all of us reading this are worth at least that much, and most of us probably much more.) Therefore, with Thanksgiving approaching, those of us fortunate to live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Western Europe, and in certain Middle Eastern countries, should be thankful for what we have.
I just got done teaching the D of Ind. to my APUSH class about two weeks ago-I make a big deal about how TJ basically said it was the govt's job to guarantee your right to PURSUE happiness, but that govt. did not guarantee your right TO BE happy. I agree with you that, for the most part, his words encourage "doers" to immigrate to the US. I'll tie his ideas in to the later idea of manifest destiny: many Americans, if they don't like their situation, move someplace else to "try it" in a new setting. I do think it's in our DNA to look for new opportunities elsewhere.
So, I don't think it's a curse, it's more of a quest. A worthy one at that.
Another thought-provoking post, Bill. We covered Jefferson's presidency in my high school U.S. History class this past week, and I used your previous Substack posts about Jefferson to teach my students how to analyze & evaluate secondary sources.
My father once observed that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" lines up nicely with a similar yet wildly different justification given in the Canadian (and other Commonwealth) Constitutions, "peace, order, and good government." Elevating "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" over (say) "peace, order, and good government" might be fairly read to explain the American experience with our own government.
Prof. Brands--Thanks for another thought-provoking column. I agree with your initial assessment that Jefferson, repeatedly over time, let his brilliance master his clarity and/or consistency. I'm generally quite happy to enjoy the play of his mind and pen, but it does make defining his position(s) on various issues a vexed endeavor. "Pursuit of happiness" may well have been a shrewd compromise over "property" in his then-current political context--or, as you note, simply a rhetorical flourish. He did write at different times about the necessity of property ownership--his "yeoman farmer"--as a crucial foundation for the republic's chances of success. As you undoubtedly know, he linked this to the argument that a man dependent on wages does not "own himself," a foundation for his choosing how to pursue happiness. This idea went different directions in Britain and Europe, but it fits, if rather queasily, with his waffling on the role of slavery in his life and that of the empire of liberty. To me this notion of needing an economic foundation puts a crimp in the unqualified glorification of the pursuit happiness, then or now.
Not by bread alone . . . but we do need bread.
Brands correctly writes "our material standard of living, which has long been the envy of the world." Several decades ago, I read that if one is worth even $50,000, s/he's worth more than 99% of the people in the world. Of course, we'd have to adjunct that figure today for inflation. Let's say the figure today is $100,000. (I'm sure all of us reading this are worth at least that much, and most of us probably much more.) Therefore, with Thanksgiving approaching, those of us fortunate to live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Western Europe, and in certain Middle Eastern countries, should be thankful for what we have.
Dr. Brands,
I just got done teaching the D of Ind. to my APUSH class about two weeks ago-I make a big deal about how TJ basically said it was the govt's job to guarantee your right to PURSUE happiness, but that govt. did not guarantee your right TO BE happy. I agree with you that, for the most part, his words encourage "doers" to immigrate to the US. I'll tie his ideas in to the later idea of manifest destiny: many Americans, if they don't like their situation, move someplace else to "try it" in a new setting. I do think it's in our DNA to look for new opportunities elsewhere.
So, I don't think it's a curse, it's more of a quest. A worthy one at that.
Another thought-provoking post, Bill. We covered Jefferson's presidency in my high school U.S. History class this past week, and I used your previous Substack posts about Jefferson to teach my students how to analyze & evaluate secondary sources.