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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Britain and the American Dream
A spirited reexamination of the most famous words in American history, and the remarkable international context from which they emerged.
Thomas Jefferson never actually penned the phrase for which he is best known. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how he originally put it, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion speaks volumes. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a daisy chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified the hopes (and debates) not only of a group of rebel-statesmen but also of an earlier generation of British thinkers who could barely imagine a country like America.
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness unmasks the transnational history of this most American of phrases. Before Jefferson, there was the English historian Catharine Macaulay, who wrote in 1768 of the "Virtue, liberty, and happiness of society." Samuel Johnson used the phrase "pursuit of happiness" in his 1759 novella Rasselas (a book whose working title was "The Choice of Life"). Everyone, it seemed, had "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on their minds; Moore shows why, and reveals how these still-nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Includes 16 pages of black-and-white images
Thomas Jefferson never actually penned the phrase for which he is best known. "The preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness" was how he originally put it, before the first ampersand was scratched out, along with "the preservation of." In a statement as pithy--and contested--as this, a small deletion speaks volumes. And indeed, that final, iconizing revision was the last in a daisy chain of revisions stretching across the Atlantic and back. The precise contours of these three rights have never been pinned down--and yet in making these words into rights, Jefferson reified the hopes (and debates) not only of a group of rebel-statesmen but also of an earlier generation of British thinkers who could barely imagine a country like America.
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness unmasks the transnational history of this most American of phrases. Before Jefferson, there was the English historian Catharine Macaulay, who wrote in 1768 of the "Virtue, liberty, and happiness of society." Samuel Johnson used the phrase "pursuit of happiness" in his 1759 novella Rasselas (a book whose working title was "The Choice of Life"). Everyone, it seemed, had "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on their minds; Moore shows why, and reveals how these still-nascent ideals made their way across an ocean and started a revolution.
Includes 16 pages of black-and-white images
592 pages, Hardcover
Published June 27, 2023
About the author
Peter Moore
5 books33 followersPeter Moore is an English writer, historian and lecturer. He is the author of Endeavour (2018) and The Weather Experiment (2015), which were both Sunday Times bestsellers in the United Kingdom. The Weather Experiment was also chosen as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2015. He teaches at the University of Oxford, has lectured internationally on eighteenth century history, and hosts a history podcast called Travels Through Time.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 24, 2023
In “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness by Peter Moore we get to know the things that influenced not only the men who created the most famous statement of freedom in the zeitgeist but the things that influence them at home and abroad. From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Jefferson and even Mr. Hancock himself this book is so interesting and not only tells the tale of the atmosphere they were in but the atmosphere they became adults with that help them evolve into the freedom makers they were. I found this book so interesting and not only does Mr. Moore have a great grasp on the era but has a great talent for putting you in it and surrounding you with the news of the day and the things that made that time and place tick. We even go to England with Mr. Franklin NC all the reasons he would eventually be not only a great newspaperman but a great statesman. One of my favorite things is reading about a certain error and getting to know the social climate and the government Stan outs and opinions of the day in this book is full of it I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it is a total five star read Mr. Moore has really favored us with a great tombe that would stand out in anyone’s library what a great book and what a great statement life liberty and the pursuit of happiness where did it come from after reading this you may still not know but maybe have a better idea and could it have come from Scotland? Love this book I received it from NetGalley and Farrar and Strauss but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
June 3, 2023
Late 1700s writers were a prickly group! In Peter Moore's, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," Moore looks at the lives of multiple literary giants including Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Johnson. It is an interesting look at how so many names attached to Great Britain and the nascent United States overlap. I liked a lot of things about this book. Franklin gets a lot of the spotlight and Moore leaves a lot of breadcrumbs showing how Franklin could be someone who loves England, but then became one of the main patriots. I knew very little of John Wilkes and Catherine Macaulay which made their sections especially interesting. Plus, there is plenty of drama between all these characters which keeps the narrative moving.
I did have one main criticism which does not sink the book but forced me to knock off a star on the rating. This book is a bit long and didn't need to be. For instance, while Catherine Macaulay deserves to have plenty written about her, she is extraneous to the book and not fully developed. Of the 18 chapters, she disappears for the majority of them. In fact, this happens with a few of the characters. Thomas Paine is only in the last couple of chapters and seems to emerge from nowhere.
In summary, I liked everything Moore wrote, but also recognize there is a lot here that is not vital to the examination of the phrase, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This is still a good book and definitely worth a read.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux.)
I did have one main criticism which does not sink the book but forced me to knock off a star on the rating. This book is a bit long and didn't need to be. For instance, while Catherine Macaulay deserves to have plenty written about her, she is extraneous to the book and not fully developed. Of the 18 chapters, she disappears for the majority of them. In fact, this happens with a few of the characters. Thomas Paine is only in the last couple of chapters and seems to emerge from nowhere.
In summary, I liked everything Moore wrote, but also recognize there is a lot here that is not vital to the examination of the phrase, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This is still a good book and definitely worth a read.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux.)
October 11, 2023
This si a wonderfully informative and well written exploration of how events and personalities in England in the mid 1700's formed both the intellectual foundations and opposition to the American Revolution. Though it centers on Benjamin Franklin, a wide range of characters appear, some of whom I did not know (Catherine Macaulay, Jo0hn Wilkes) and some of whom I now know much better (Samuel Johnson). it also details the friendship between franklin and William Strahan. I was especially gratified to learn that Franklin never sent the scathing letter that seemed to end their frindship.
October 19, 2023
First, as an American, it's always nice to read books about our history written by non-Americans. (I've previously read a book, aeons ago, author and title escape me, by a British writer, about the American Revolution, or perhaps the British Civil War from that point of view and Holger Hoock's book on the American Revolution as well, he being from The Netherlands by birth but teaching in the US.)
Ideally a 4.5, and an easy read. This dragged? Really? Not. Not for me.
I don't recall having heard of William Strahan before, and certainly not John Hall. Franklin, of course, and a fair amount about Johnson, and some about Macauley.
The relationship between Franklin and Strahan, against the background of the rise of both of them, both professionally and economically, and against the rise of emphasis on the titular phrase, from Locke through the 18th century to George III and beyond, is the keystone.
A few notes, to wrap up.
First, Moore notes that "happiness" at that time meant something more like contentment, today.
Second, though he doesn't spell it out, I think the Cockpit and Frankin's battle with Wedderburn, was the breaking point with Strahan. Franklin had nobly outed himself, to Strahan, as the "leaker" of the Whately letters, and might have expected a modicum of moral support after that, but got none it appears. Franklin stopped printing with him, and Moore mentions no words of comfort from him.
Third? Johnson. Per another reviewer, though he's not the focal point, he's portrayed fairly. He outs the hypocrisy of Macauley and Wilkes both, and indirectly, with his "loudest yelps from the drivers of negros," not only American slave owners, but also Hume. (That said, outside the scope of this book, Johnson had his own hypocrisy re Hume, refusing to put aside animus at Hume's atheism to credit him as a historian, and IMO, influencing Boswell to try to entice a deathbed confession of faith out of Hume. [Such things didn't begin with 20th century American fundagelicals.])
Fourth? A bit of a misfire by Moore, and why I say really, it's 4.5. Deborah Read was Franklin's common-law wife and most histories note that. Moore never does. It's of import, in my opinion, in Franklin's striving, complete with the fully made-up Franklin in robe and wig, as part of trying to present himself as a gentleman. A gentleman, I would think, would have a wife, not a common-law wife. But, for whatever reasons, Franklin never rectified that with a parson, and perhaps assumed that Strahan and others in England never knew.
Ideally a 4.5, and an easy read. This dragged? Really? Not. Not for me.
I don't recall having heard of William Strahan before, and certainly not John Hall. Franklin, of course, and a fair amount about Johnson, and some about Macauley.
The relationship between Franklin and Strahan, against the background of the rise of both of them, both professionally and economically, and against the rise of emphasis on the titular phrase, from Locke through the 18th century to George III and beyond, is the keystone.
A few notes, to wrap up.
First, Moore notes that "happiness" at that time meant something more like contentment, today.
Second, though he doesn't spell it out, I think the Cockpit and Frankin's battle with Wedderburn, was the breaking point with Strahan. Franklin had nobly outed himself, to Strahan, as the "leaker" of the Whately letters, and might have expected a modicum of moral support after that, but got none it appears. Franklin stopped printing with him, and Moore mentions no words of comfort from him.
Third? Johnson. Per another reviewer, though he's not the focal point, he's portrayed fairly. He outs the hypocrisy of Macauley and Wilkes both, and indirectly, with his "loudest yelps from the drivers of negros," not only American slave owners, but also Hume. (That said, outside the scope of this book, Johnson had his own hypocrisy re Hume, refusing to put aside animus at Hume's atheism to credit him as a historian, and IMO, influencing Boswell to try to entice a deathbed confession of faith out of Hume. [Such things didn't begin with 20th century American fundagelicals.])
Fourth? A bit of a misfire by Moore, and why I say really, it's 4.5. Deborah Read was Franklin's common-law wife and most histories note that. Moore never does. It's of import, in my opinion, in Franklin's striving, complete with the fully made-up Franklin in robe and wig, as part of trying to present himself as a gentleman. A gentleman, I would think, would have a wife, not a common-law wife. But, for whatever reasons, Franklin never rectified that with a parson, and perhaps assumed that Strahan and others in England never knew.
June 10, 2023
The mid to late 1700's has a interesting cast of characters that sometimes gets overlooked for other time periods (the Tudors, American Civil War, World War II to name a few). "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" brings us stories of famous literary figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Johnson and William Strahan. We find ourselves in a transatlantic journey and analyze what the iconic phrase in the Declaration of Independence means before the document was written in 1776.
I loved how Franklin got his moment in the sun. As one of my favorite Founding Father's and my favorite character in 1776, I enjoyed sharing a lot of the journey with him. He's a remarkable man, who loved both countries. He spent much of his life split between London and Philadelphia. Without his insight, and printing press our world as we know it wouldn't exist. Samuel Johnson of course wrote the dictionary and has very iconic quotes about London. He shares a lot of this book as well.
A man I really enjoyed learning about was John Wilkes. His distant relative John Wilkes Booth was named for him. He was a firey figure during the revolution. However, I felt his story got a bit lost. He would enter the story, disappear and enter again. A few of these men and Catharine Macaulay got got short changed with the amount of time spent on them in the book for how many pages were written. They could've been fleshed out better.
Although I had a few complaints, it was a very well researched books. I enjoyed all the quotes in the book, it felt like we really were right there in the 1700, enjoying the adventure itself. All in all, I give the book 4 stars. Despite some of the minor critiques, I enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to someone who wanted to read about the period with the ideals that sparked a revolution.
Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this ARC.
I loved how Franklin got his moment in the sun. As one of my favorite Founding Father's and my favorite character in 1776, I enjoyed sharing a lot of the journey with him. He's a remarkable man, who loved both countries. He spent much of his life split between London and Philadelphia. Without his insight, and printing press our world as we know it wouldn't exist. Samuel Johnson of course wrote the dictionary and has very iconic quotes about London. He shares a lot of this book as well.
A man I really enjoyed learning about was John Wilkes. His distant relative John Wilkes Booth was named for him. He was a firey figure during the revolution. However, I felt his story got a bit lost. He would enter the story, disappear and enter again. A few of these men and Catharine Macaulay got got short changed with the amount of time spent on them in the book for how many pages were written. They could've been fleshed out better.
Although I had a few complaints, it was a very well researched books. I enjoyed all the quotes in the book, it felt like we really were right there in the 1700, enjoying the adventure itself. All in all, I give the book 4 stars. Despite some of the minor critiques, I enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to someone who wanted to read about the period with the ideals that sparked a revolution.
Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this ARC.
July 10, 2023
This historical nonfiction follows Benjamin Franklin, and several other key players in America and Britain, in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War. It examines how the political atmosphere became gradually more divided between the two countries, as America tried to assert their liberty and Britain tried to regain control, and how friendships and family relationships were impacted by this growing chasm. The book is divided into three sections: life, liberty, and happiness, each section exploring exactly what those concepts really meant to people at that time.
Although authored by a British academic the writing is completely accessible. Moore has a narrative style that drew me in and I became involved in the lives of the major players like I was reading characters in a fiction novel. As an American I learned a lot more about the British perspective at the time than I had ever known before. It was an intriguing and enlightening read. There were places where the pace slowed a bit and I had trouble staying interested. At over 500 pages I felt there were parts that could have been trimmed.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical nonfiction. This book offers a new perspective and insight on the dynamic of the major political players at the time and will be a valuable addition to the Revolutionary War reader's collection.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Although authored by a British academic the writing is completely accessible. Moore has a narrative style that drew me in and I became involved in the lives of the major players like I was reading characters in a fiction novel. As an American I learned a lot more about the British perspective at the time than I had ever known before. It was an intriguing and enlightening read. There were places where the pace slowed a bit and I had trouble staying interested. At over 500 pages I felt there were parts that could have been trimmed.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical nonfiction. This book offers a new perspective and insight on the dynamic of the major political players at the time and will be a valuable addition to the Revolutionary War reader's collection.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 18, 2023
Peter Moore's Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness examines numerous historical figures from the late 18th century. Moore's writing style makes it easy to follow the information. The subject matter, from Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Paine, is examined in few ways I have not read about before. There were a few people, such as John Wilkes and Catharine Macaulay that were entered into the narration, but seemed to get lost or not as fleshed out as well as other figures even though this is quite a long work. I will say that Moore did a great job making Samual Johnson interesting, which I have not read a book that has been able to do that before.
Readers that enjoy late 18th century history will enjoy this work and will probably learn a few new things no matter how well read the reader is when it comes to the subject matter.
I received a digital ARC of this work from NetGalley and the publisher. I thank them for the opportunity, and acknowledge all opinions are my own.
Readers that enjoy late 18th century history will enjoy this work and will probably learn a few new things no matter how well read the reader is when it comes to the subject matter.
I received a digital ARC of this work from NetGalley and the publisher. I thank them for the opportunity, and acknowledge all opinions are my own.
October 13, 2023
This book intrigued me since it focuses more the history of the concepts leading to our revolution rather than individual efforts. This book centers on the concepts, developed "across the pond" so to speak, over many years. Educational systems don't generally teach how life in Britain spurred the want of the freedoms we enjoy today. Moore also delves into the actions of many people, such as John Wilkes (Lincoln's assassin was named for him) and Samuel Johnson among others. I seldom encounter references to those pursuing the ideals of liberty that lead to such great changes. While Tom Paine was familiar to me as a Founder, I learned a great deal about him too and his early efforts to promote liberty. As an American I think it important we understand why patriots fought to hard for the country we have now and to especially revere their sacrifices.
December 11, 2023
Really interesting sextuple portrait of 6 fascinating individuals, and of the context of both the Colonies and London in the period through the 7 Years war and pre-revolution. 3 are of people whose names we reocognize: Franklin, Johnson, & Paine. One is a character which may be sightly known by the more history-nerdy: John Wilkes. And the last two are probably not known to most laypeople: Catherine Macauley and William Strahan. Given how important both were in their field, it seems a terrible shame they aren't better known!
November 7, 2023
Magnificent. Provides the British as well as American perspective on the run up to the American Revolution. We are taught as Americans the colonies’ perspective, but this book persuasively lays out the case that discontent was not limited to that side of the Atlantic.
The book focuses on the following individuals through which the greater story is told:
Benjamin Franklin
William Strahan
Samuel Johnson
John Wilkes
Catharine Macaulay
Thomas Paine
The book focuses on the following individuals through which the greater story is told:
Benjamin Franklin
William Strahan
Samuel Johnson
John Wilkes
Catharine Macaulay
Thomas Paine
January 11, 2024
Massively meh. Though disclosure I did listen to this on audiobook and thus I think retained a little less than had I read it. Overall his thesis and his study is interesting — what British writers influenced the Declaration of Independence snd the specific phrase in the title. But it woudlve worked better as an article than as a book. Too much bland biography of Franklin and Wilkes and Johnson for my taste. Not enough focus on the thesis.
July 26, 2024
Excellent history of one of the most important phrases in the history of humanity. “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. I learned an incredible amount about the lives of Benjamin Franklin, John Wilkes, and Samuel Johnson. It also helps one gain perspective and understand that politics and people haven’t changed much in these 200+ years. Highly recommend for those interested in the history of how America came to be.
August 22, 2024
An exceptional historical account of different people who contributed to the foundation of America. It, unlike many historical books, didn't focus on the fights, but delved into the tensions of the conflicts before they evolved. It also revealed why this Country's core principles are what they are.
September 1, 2023
Always good to read about America before it was America. Worth the read for any history buff
October 10, 2023
First heard Peter Moore on Empire Podcast. Excellent read. must get his book on capt cook "Endevour"
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews