Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness | US History | Khan Academy

Summary

The video script discusses the Declaration of Independence's pivotal phrase 'endowed by their Creator', highlighting the deist beliefs of its authors. It explores the concept of unalienable rights, derived from John Locke, emphasizing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The script also delves into the inherent contradiction of Jefferson owning slaves while advocating for equality. It concludes with a discussion on the social contract theory of government, where power is derived from the consent of the governed, not divine right, and the purpose of government is to secure, not infringe upon, these fundamental rights.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Declaration of Independence's second sentence emphasizes the equality of all men and their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• 🤔 The authors of the Declaration were deists, believing in a creator without adhering to specific religious doctrines.
• 📝 The phrase 'endowed by their Creator' was likely added by John Adams to emphasize the divine origin of rights.
• 🔄 The drafters debated the balance between rights being self-evident through rationality and being divinely granted.
• 👥 The concept of 'unalienable rights' implies that these rights cannot be taken away, not even by a king.
• 📚 John Locke's philosophy influenced the idea of government as a social contract where rights are protected, not surrendered.
• 🏛 The government's role is to secure these rights, not to infringe upon them, based on the consent of the governed.
• 🤝 The social contract theory suggests that people form governments to better secure their rights, not to have them taken away.
• 🔊 There's an inherent conflict in the Declaration, as Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner, wrote about the inalienable rights to liberty.
• 🌟 The phrase 'pursuit of happiness' is more about the pursuit of meaning in life rather than mere joy or frivolity.

Q & A

What is the significance of the phrase 'Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness' in the Declaration of Independence?

This phrase represents the unalienable rights that all individuals possess, as per the Declaration of Independence. It signifies the fundamental values that the government is instituted to protect.

Why did the authors of the Declaration of Independence choose the term 'Creator' instead of 'God' or 'Jesus Christ'?

The authors were influenced by deism, which posits a grand creator of the universe without adhering to specific religious doctrines. Using 'Creator' allowed for a broader, more inclusive concept that could be accepted by people of various beliefs.

What does the term 'unalienable rights' imply?

The term 'unalienable rights' means rights that cannot be taken away or given up by an individual. They are considered inherent and fundamental.

How does the concept of 'unalienable rights' relate to the theory of government presented in the script?

The concept of 'unalienable rights' is central to the theory of government presented in the script. It suggests that governments are instituted to protect these rights, not to take them away, and that the power of the government comes from the consent of the governed.

What is the role of rationality in determining the rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence?

Rationality plays a role in recognizing these rights as 'self-evident,' meaning they are understood through reason and are universally accepted without needing proof.

What was the initial draft's phrase that was changed to 'self-evident'?

The initial draft used the phrase 'sacred truths' which was later changed to 'self-evident' to emphasize the rational understanding of these rights.

How does the script address the contradiction of Thomas Jefferson owning slaves while advocating for life and liberty for all?

The script points out the inherent conflict in Jefferson's ownership of slaves while he was writing about unalienable rights. It suggests a complex interplay between personal beliefs, societal norms, and philosophical ideals of the time.

What is the origin of the phrase 'Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness'?

The phrase is derived from the works of John Locke, an English philosopher, who initially used 'Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of property,' which was later modified to reflect a broader concept of personal fulfillment.

What does the script imply about the purpose of government according to John Locke and other Enlightenment philosophers?

The script implies that the purpose of government, as per Locke and other philosophers, is to protect and secure the rights of individuals, rather than to take them away or control them.

How does the concept of 'the consent of the governed' relate to the formation of government in the script?

The concept of 'the consent of the governed' suggests that governments are formed and granted power by the voluntary agreement of the people, rather than by divine right or other external authority.

What rights are considered non-negotiable when instituting a government, according to the script?

According to the script, the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are considered non-negotiable and should not be given up to the government.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Foundations of American Liberty

The paragraph discusses the origins of the Declaration of Independence, highlighting the significance of the phrase 'endowed by their Creator' and its implications. It emphasizes the deist beliefs of the founding fathers, who saw a universal creator but did not adhere to specific religious doctrines. The conversation explores the balance between rights as granted by a divine creator and those derived from rationality. The concept of 'unalienable rights' is clarified, indicating rights that cannot be surrendered or taken away, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The paragraph also touches on the contradiction of Jefferson owning slaves while advocating for these rights. It references John Locke's philosophy, which influenced the Declaration, particularly the idea that government is created by the consent of the governed to secure these rights, not to diminish them.

05:01

🏛️ The Role of Government in Protecting Rights

This paragraph delves into the theory of government as a construct of the people to protect their inherent rights. It discusses the idea that individuals might cede certain rights, like the enforcement of laws, to the government to better secure their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The conversation clarifies that there are fundamental rights, such as the right to life and liberty, which should not be relinquished to any government. The paragraph reinforces the notion that the purpose of government is to secure these rights, not to take them away, and that the legitimacy of government power comes from the consent of those it governs.

Keywords

💡Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is a historic document drafted in 1776 that announced the American colonies' separation from British rule. The video discusses key ideas in this document, particularly its assertion that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights by their Creator, forming the basis for the new government's legitimacy.

💡Unalienable Rights

Unalienable rights are fundamental freedoms that cannot be surrendered or taken away. The video explains that these rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, are inherent and cannot be revoked by a ruler or government, reflecting the influence of Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke.

💡Creator

The term 'Creator' in the Declaration of Independence refers to a higher power that endowed humans with certain inalienable rights. The video highlights that the Founding Fathers used this term instead of explicitly mentioning God or Jesus, aligning with deist beliefs common among Enlightenment thinkers, who believed in a creator but rejected organized religion's dogma.

💡Deism

Deism is the belief in a rational creator who does not interfere in human affairs or impose religious dogma. The video emphasizes that many Founding Fathers, including Jefferson and Franklin, were deists, which influenced their wording in the Declaration of Independence. They referred to 'nature's god' rather than invoking specific religious figures.

💡John Locke

John Locke was an English philosopher whose ideas greatly influenced the Founding Fathers. The video references his theory of natural rights, which includes life, liberty, and property. Locke’s ideas helped shape the Declaration of Independence, though Jefferson replaced 'property' with the more abstract 'pursuit of happiness.'

💡Pursuit of Happiness

The pursuit of happiness is one of the unalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. According to the video, this phrase, derived from John Locke’s concept of property, represents an individual’s right to seek personal fulfillment and meaning in life, not just material wealth or fleeting joy.

💡Consent of the Governed

The consent of the governed is a foundational democratic principle stating that a government's legitimacy comes from the people's approval. The video explains that this idea rejects the divine right of kings and asserts that governments are formed to protect citizens' rights with their consent, a theory rooted in Enlightenment thought.

💡Social Contract

The social contract is the philosophical idea that people form governments by mutual agreement to protect their rights. The video discusses how the Founding Fathers viewed government as a collective decision to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of more essential rights, reflecting the Enlightenment’s contractarian theory.

💡Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. The video discusses his contradictions, particularly his ownership of slaves while writing about liberty and equality. His work was influenced by Enlightenment ideals, yet his personal life reflected the complexities of these philosophical ideals in practice.

💡Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

This phrase encapsulates the core unalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence. The video points out that these rights are central to the founders’ philosophy of governance, inspired by John Locke’s theories, and remain fundamental to American political thought. They represent basic freedoms that government is designed to secure.

Highlights

The Declaration of Independence's second sentence emphasizes the equality of all men and their unalienable rights.

The authors were deists, believing in a creator without adhering to specific religious dogma.

The phrase 'endowed by their Creator' was likely added by John Adams to emphasize the source of rights.

The concept of 'self-evident' was chosen over 'sacred' to highlight the rational basis of rights.

The idea of a creator implies a certain equality among all people.

Unalienable rights are those that cannot be taken away or given up.

The theory of government by John Locke influenced the concept of unalienable rights.

Governments are instituted to secure rights, not to take them away.

The phrase 'Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness' derives from John Locke's philosophy.

The pursuit of happiness is about finding meaning in life, not just joy and frivolity.

Jefferson's ownership of slaves highlights a conflict between the理念 of liberty and the reality of slavery.

The government's power comes from the consent of the governed, not divine right.

People form governments to secure their rights, not to give them up.

The type of rights people would give up to government are limited and specific.

Fundamental rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are not negotiable.

The concept of government is a contract between the people to secure their rights.

Transcripts

Man 1: "We hold these truths to be self-evident,

"that all men are created equal,

"that they are endowed by their Creator

"with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are

"Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

It's this amazing second sentence

of the Declaration of Independence that Jefferson

and Adams and Franklin wrote as part of a committee

and we were looking at that sentence.

Let's go on to look at that phrase, "they are endowed

"by their Creator."

It's interesting, they don't really mention Jesus Christ

and not even God.

They talk about the laws of nature and of nature's god

and a creator.

These are deists, people who believe in the notion

that there's some grand creator of the universe,

but they don't get into the specifics of any particular

religious dogma.

The other thing is they're balancing where do our rights

come from?

In an earlier draft, and we'll talk about how they edit

the earlier drafts in a later video, but in an earlier draft

it just says they're endowed

with certain unalienable rights and you see

that John Adams, probably, is the one who wants

to insert the phrase "their Creator" and that was

because they started the sentence

with "We hold these truths to be sacred,"

but they changed that to "self-evident."

They're trying to say to what extent is it rationality

that gives us these rights, to what extent

are these rights endowed by God

and I think what they finally come down to is

that we all had a creator and that creator made us all.

So, to a certain sync, we're created equal.

Our creator must love us all, we are all created

by the same creator, therefore there's a certain equality

that we have and in creating us, he gave us

certain unalienable rights.

Man 2: Unalienable just means can't be taken away.

It can't be separated.

Man 1: It can't be separated.

You can't take these rights away.

The king can't take these rights away.

In other words, it's not as if we could give up

these rights and in particular, they are talking

about this theory of government that John Locke had,

who was one of the philosophers that they read,

an English philosopher of that period,

who said that when you created government

or there is a government, you give up some

of your rights.

For example, if we all agree that we're part

of a government, we may give up our right

to take somebody else's property or whatever it may be.

These are rights you can give up,

but there are certain rights that are unalienable,

that you just can't give up or the king can't take it away.

Once again, you've got to look at Thomas Jefferson,

who actually owned slaves at this point

and he's saying among those unalienable rights

are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There's this inherent conflict still, between rights,

such as liberty, that you can't take away from a person

and yet, Jefferson's writing this phrase

when he owns slaves.

The phrase "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"

is also something that derives from John Locke

and these philosophers of the Enlightenment

that were writing in England.

At one point, John Locke uses the phrase "Life, Liberty,

"and the pursuit of property," because Locke believed

that owning property was an important right you had

and the government couldn't just take

your property away.

However, you can see that they change it

to a more elevated phrase (laughter) that we each get

to pursue our own notion of what we want to do

in our lives, our happiness.

I don't think they just mean happiness like joy

and frivolity.

I think they mean pursuit of meaning in life,

what gives our life meaning

and these are the unalienable rights.

Then they go on and this gets

to what's called the contract notion of government,

is that why do we have governments?

Whether it's John Locke or the other philosophers

we've talked about, they say the reason

we have government is that we all had these rights,

but we decided to get together.

We instituted governments.

Governments are instituted and the reason

those governments have their power is because

of the consent of the governed.

It's like if you and I and 20 people got together

and formed a group and we said, "We're going to form

"a group, we'll give up some of our rights,

"because the group itself will have certain powers,

"but we're consenting to do that."

It's not because of the divine right of kings.

It's the consent of the governed.

The consent of the people says we will institute

a government amongst ourselves

and that's not to take away our rights,

that's to secure our rights.

Man 2: Right.

I might ...

The 20 of us might give up our right to enforce things,

police each other, to the government,

so that we could have our life, liberty,

and pursuit of happiness.

We're more likely to have it secured.

Man 1: Once you get to that theory, you have to say,

"What are the type of rights we would give up?"

Such as, maybe, the right to decide the traffic laws

or the policing of the thing, or how property contracts

are made, but there are certain things that,

no matter what you did, if you were instituting

a government among men, you would not give up

the right to life, you would not give up the right

to liberty, and you would not say, "I'm going to give up

"my right to pursue my own life ends,

"my own happiness."

You would say, "We want to secure those rights.

"We're not going to give those up to government."