Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

In honor of America’s birthday, go read the Declaration of Independence. Like most of America’s founding documents, it’s remarkably succinct. And then go read Andrew Sullivan’s “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Sullivan’s closing paragraph: I believe in a country that enshrines each of these three things, a country that promises nothing but the ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

In honor of America's birthday, go read the Declaration of Independence. Like most of America's founding documents, it's remarkably succinct. And then go read Andrew Sullivan's "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Sullivan's closing paragraph:

In honor of America’s birthday, go read the Declaration of Independence. Like most of America’s founding documents, it’s remarkably succinct. And then go read Andrew Sullivan’s “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Sullivan’s closing paragraph:

I believe in a country that enshrines each of these three things, a country that promises nothing but the promise of being more fully human, and never guarantees its success. In that constant failure to arrive — implied at the very beginning — lies the possibility of a permanently fresh start, an old newness, a way of revitalizing ourselves and our civilization in ways few foresaw and one day many will forget. But the point is now. And the place is America.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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