Resource person: Audra Bullard - office@clehighlands.com

Description:

The expression “pursuit of happiness” became a part of the American lexicon in the Declaration of Independence. Along with life and liberty, it was characterized as a self-evident “inalienable” right. Its etymology was well known to the Founding Fathers from the writings of John Locke to the texts of the early Greek and Roman moral philosophers concerning virtue. In this presentation, Professor Crespino will discuss the qualities of self-mastery deemed essential to a virtuous life and how those qualities influenced the larger enterprise of self-government over time. He will also discuss the struggles of the Founding Fathers in living up to this ideal. In an era characterized by the quest for material success, political polarization, quick fixes, and instant gratification, does the classical understanding of the “pursuit of happiness” still have resonance?

Joseph Crespino is the Jimmy Carter Professor of History at Emory University. He is an expert in the political and cultural history of the twentieth century United States and of the history of the American South since Reconstruction. Crespino has published three books, the most recent of which is Atticus Finch: The Biography—Harper Lee, Her Father, and the Making of an American Icon published in 2018. He is currently writing the chapters covering United States history in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries for the textbook America: A Narrative History. He received a BA from Northwestern University and a PhD from Stanford University.

Notes: Cancellation Policy Please let us know immediately if you are unable to attend a class. There is no refund for cancellations within two (2) weeks prior to a scheduled class. Programs that include food, beverage or art materials must be canceled within three (3) weeks prior to receive a refund. CLE reserves the right to cancel a program if the minimum enrollment has not been met or for circumstances beyond our control, and participants will be notified, a complete refund will be issued. All classes are held in the CLE Lecture Hall at the Peggy Crosby Center unless otherwise noted. In the event information has changed from the published brochure, it will be posted on our website and in our e-blasts. Addresses for “private home” venues will be provided to registrants within 2 days of the program date.

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