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

"Happiness" is mentioned twice in the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence, but what does it mean?

In this episode, Prof. Darrin McMahon, best-selling author of _Happiness: A History_, outlines the history of happiness and its various meanings.

Topics include:

-the history of the word in English and other languages

-happiness in the classical Greek and Roman philosophical traditions

-happiness in the Judeo-Christian and Buddhist traditions

-Enlightenment concepts of human happiness from thinkers like John Locke, Jeremy Bentham, William Blackstone, and Isaac Newton

-the opposition between happiness and suffering in the Declaration

-happiness in the Epicurean and Stoic traditions...

In this episode, we discuss the rum industry in connection with grievances #16 and #17 in the Declaration of Independence:

"For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world"

"For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent"

Topics include the following:

-an explanation of rum production, from sugarcane to the finished product

-the origins of sugarcane and rum production in Barbados in the early 1600s

-the development of distilleries in the Colonies, particularly Massachusetts, in the late 1600s

-rum consumption in the Colonies by people in cities, slave traders, fishermen, and native Americans

-the use of rum as...

"He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us."

In this episodes, we explore the many faces of Loyalism in the Colonies, particularly the Loyalist stronghold of New York City. Of course, Loyalists remained under the King's protection during the war, contrary to Grievance #23 of the Declaration of Independence.

Topics include the following:

-a description of the different Loyalists or Tories throughout the Colonies, including the rich and poor, black and white, Native and European, male and female

-the origins of the Sons of Liberty in 1765 as a result of...

In this episode we explore the Revolution 250 exhibit at The National Archives in Kew, from 24 June 2026 to 29 November 2026:

[Revolution 250](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/revolution-250-americas-independence-story-1763-1783/)
America's Independence Story 1763–1783
Britain and America. One Story, Two Nations

Topics include the following:

-the story of the distribution of the Declaration first around the Colonies and then around the world

-a description of the National Archive's collection of early prints of the Declaration, including the extremely rare Dunlap Broadsides

-the fascinating stories of how these prints arrived in London, enclosed in letters from various British officials in the Colonies, such as Admiral Richard...