In that context, Liberty means the right to do as you ought, instead of the right to do whatever you feel like doing. It was understood to be the pursuit of a virtuous (morally upright) life under the authority of God. ![]() ![]() When the Founders referred to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence, they were not advocating a license to simply pursue pleasure. If we are to have a flourishing society in the twenty-first century, we must raise a generation that knows what it truly means to pursue happiness. ![]() The “pursuit of happiness” today in popular culture is not the kind of happiness America’s founders declared as an inalienable right. With Independence Day coming, it would be good to discuss with your family and students an often-misunderstood term in the Declaration of Independence.
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