Life, Liberty, and Happiness: A guide for yesterday and today? episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 23, 2026 · 17 MIN

Life, Liberty, and Happiness: A guide for yesterday and today?

from Democracy in Question: America at 250

The words "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence were specific enough to win over colonists in 1776, but vague enough to appeal to social movements since and today. In this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas asks Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, about the origin of this phrase and why it still matters. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to [email protected].

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 23, 2026

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