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Episode 1: In Order to Be Happy

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Content provided by National Constitution Center. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by National Constitution Center or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

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 Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, trace how the meaning of pursuit of happiness has changed. Then, American filmmaker Ken Burns shares how — even as he has spent his “entire life trying to figure out the United States” — daily self-reflection has given him new perspectives on what the founders faced 250 years ago.

Stay Connected and Learn More

  • Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected]
  • Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
  • Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit
  • Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
  • Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen
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  • Support our important work:

Donate

Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.
  continue reading

4 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 505124838 series 3688276
Content provided by National Constitution Center. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by National Constitution Center or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

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 Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, trace how the meaning of pursuit of happiness has changed. Then, American filmmaker Ken Burns shares how — even as he has spent his “entire life trying to figure out the United States” — daily self-reflection has given him new perspectives on what the founders faced 250 years ago.

Stay Connected and Learn More

  • Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected]
  • Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
  • Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit
  • Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
  • Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen
  • Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube
  • Support our important work:

Donate

Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.
  continue reading

4 episodes

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