The Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen is a fascinating and thought-provoking deep dive into a subject that is often misused and or even misunderstood.

Mr. Rosen presents an interesting investigation into some of our Founding Fathers and their quest for all of us in the Pursuit of Happiness. Their search for the Pursuit of Happiness was not to be happy in the short term themselves but the pursuits that lead doing good for others, more of a spiritual nature than immediate personal gratification. These men read the Bible, and writings that can be traced back to ancient Roman and Greek thinkers. Rosen after much research details how these thoughts, and ideas influenced our Founding Fathers.

It would appear that the Pursuit of Happiness is also tied to virtue, meaning behavior showing high moral standards, a quality considered morally good or desirable in a person. I think many of us want our children to be inspired by teachers, people of authority and therefore they themselves are inspired to good and be good people.

I was impressed by the depth of the information, and insightful manner was presented that gave me pause on what I believed the phrase to mean. The Constitution is a written document that is often misused to justify rights and freedoms. But in a time where the founding fathers thought and spoke differently, we cannot take the words used in a literal meaning. There is a broader and deeper meaning for the chosen words than we non-scholars understand.

In an America where most of the public assumes that the politicians are morally bankrupt and where much of the public views happiness as tied to greed, lust, or gluttony, analyzing the creeds of men and women who shaped our country is relevant. Even if they failed to fully live out these principles, which Rosen clearly shows, his book suggests that a return to reflection and reading on virtue can help us pursue happiness today.

Rosen does a good job of summarizing the origins and philosophies that shaped the founding fathers. From it, I learned about many important documents during the time of the founders that were absent in the philosophy curriculum that I received. Strong points of the book are the chapters on Washington, and also the reconciliation of Adams and Jefferson. On the other hand, chapter six about Phillis Wheatley was a weak point, largely because the chapter is hardly about her. However, all in all, I think Rosen has written a fascinating book and I highly recommend this book to those both interested in Greek Philosophy and American History!

TITLE: The Pursuit Of Happiness
AUTHOR : Jeffrey Rosen
GENRE: Nonfiction/History
TIME: 1700s & 1800s
LOCATION: During Founding of Our Constitutional Republic.


This is a most wonderful book on our Founders, not all of them, but some of the ones who stand out, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. How they founded our republic and wanted everyone to pursue happiness. Not what makes us feel happy or just lasts a short time, but the pursuit of happiness that will lead to ours and other’s happiness and the nation’s happiness in the long term. What brings happiness, not what makes you feel good. And what is it that will truly help us be happy in the long term? Our framers read the Bible and other philosophers that helped them realize that it was virtue, virtuousness. Being virtuous will stay with us and we will be happy for our life if we continue on in virtue. Our framers knew this. They didn’t always know this, but by reading and always trying to understand what our Creator told us in His word and reading other philosophers on the subject, they tried to educate themselves on what would make a man or woman happy in the long term. And they wanted that for our nation. I know many say, the Bible wasn’t a part of our founding, but it was. Jesus and his New Testament laws can be found in our Declaration of Independence and all throughout our Constitution. It was a big part of our founding but there were other parts too. You can find it all throughout history, including in this book. I wonder where our virtue has went? …I hope if you read The Pursuit of Happiness that you enjoy it as I did. Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #ThePursuitOfHappiness with my honest thoughts and opinions.

Jeffrey Rosen's book is an important contribution to early American historiography. The idea of virtue floats throughout the writings of the founders and the major historical figures of the early republic. This is the first work that I think does an adequate job of looking at how that philosophy is fleshed out by the founders, and where that philosophy comes from.

Most of the major Enlightenment thinkers of America are here: Franklin and the almanack, Jefferson and the Notes on Virginia. Readers of these early American texts won't find anything new in Rosen's book about what they say, but they will certainly walk away from the book understanding where it came from. Each of these thinkers' writings are traced back to ancient Roman and Greek thinkers, and Rosen shows where those ideas directly influence the men of the 1700s.

The Pursuit of happiness itself is tied to virtue, for happiness can only be found in this American polity, according to founders, when the spirit of the community is reflected inward, in an act of self-sacrificing towards the common good. Virtue is the ultimate trait of a good statesman, and a good statesman and virtue is best directed to the progress of the community.

The book's only drawback was that I felt it lacked some ruminating on the longterm history of virtue. While Rosen does seem to imply this and focus a bit on it, I couldn't help but question where this virtue went to. How did it seem to fade so fast? Or, maybe more accurately, how did it seem to fade to some and not others? And how do we make sense of virtue today, or lack thereof? Can we rekindle this virtuous identity somehow? Perhaps this book will start a conversation among historians about these questions