Post by Adriana Mateus

If you could write a message to our country, what would you want to say? I began to reflect more deeply on our nation's founding principles after listening to an enlightening talk by Jeffrey Rosen about his book, "The Pursuit of Happiness." The author discusses the connection between the classical virtues and the pursuit of happiness, including our changing understanding of the term. In discussing the founders’ lifelong quest for character improvement, Rosen explains that for the founders, happiness was not something to be obtained, but rather pursued, and that the pursuit itself is rooted in virtue (self-mastery, tranquility of mind), or ‘being good,’ rather than short-term gratification or simply ‘feeling good.’ The question above is part of "Dear America," an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., celebrating the nation's 250th birthday. I share some reflections on Rosen's book and my recent journey across three cities central to the story of our country's founding in my essay, In Pursuit | En Busca: America at 250. #America250 #FourthOfJuly #AmericanHistory #Reading #DeclarationOfIndependence