Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence

In this episode, we explore the links between the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) and the American War for Independence.

Topics include the following:

-Thomas Jefferson's life-long interest in Ancient Greek philosophy and political thought

-the broad influence of Ancient Greek thinkers on all of the American Founders

-an overview of Greek history, including the Orlov Revolt from 1770-1771

-the state of "Greece" in 1776

-Ottoman control over Greek/Christian communities and the slow realization in the 18th century that as the might of the Ottoman Empire declined there were opportunities to seek independence, particularly with the help of other European...

"'All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.' This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free." Ho Chi Minh, 2 September 1945

Today we explore the influence of the American Declaration of Independence on Vietnamese Independence, as seen in Ho's explicit references to the...

"Wir halten diese Wahrheiten für ausgemacht, daß alle Menschen gleich erschaffen worden, daß sie von ihrem Schöpfer mit gewissen unveräusserlichen Rechten begabt worden, worunter sind Leben, Freiheit und das Streben nach Glückseligkeit."

-from one of the first German translations of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, July 1776

In this episode, we explore the role of Germanic immigrants in the American Revolution. Topics include:

-the first reports and publications of the Declaration in German by Philadelphia printers, such as Heinrich Miller

-German literacy and German-language print-culture in the Colonies

-push factors influencing emigration our of Germanic territories, including economic, agricultural, political,...

"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."

In this episode, we explore the Boston Tea Party, the global tea industry, British-American perceptions of tyrannical governments in Asia, and the Declaration of Independence.

Topics include the following:

-the connotations of the word "tyranny" in the Colonies

-the presumption in the Britain and the Colonies that "freedom" only meant being Protestant and living in a constitutional monarchy

-the East India Company, the tea trade, the cotton trade, and the Mughal Empire

-Colonial American consumer...