These famous words written by Thomas Jefferson, enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, are very familiar to us. They are foundational to the life of our nation and define the theme of American civic life. On this 250th anniversary of our nation, we should reflect on this seminal statement.

Thomas Jefferson was influenced by the political philosopher John Locke, who proposed that people have natural rights: life, liberty and property. Jefferson changed this to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Happiness, at that time and context, meant the pursuit of civic virtue and moral excellence. How profoundly different this is from our contemporary understanding of happiness as the

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