The Declaration of Independence lists three unalienable rights: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The third unalienable right was understood as the effort to improve one’s character through life-long learning and fearless self-examination. There was no reason to elucidate the meaning of the Pursuit of Happiness in the federal Constitution because the states were already on it.

Vermont’s Constitution focuses on five civic virtues: Justice, Moderation, Temperance, Industry, and Frugality. Each of the virtues provides a path to a strong inner life, less reactive to events we can’t control. Each of the discussions in this series will focus on a path to inner strength. Don’t worry if you miss a session. All paths eventually meet at the summit.

The first session focuses on some of the moral philosophers who extolled the pursuit of happiness, such as Cicero and Epictetus, John Adams and Frederick Douglass. How did they travel the path from despair to hope, from enslavement to freedom? 

This Series is supported by a grant from the Vermont Humanities Council.