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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Britain and the American Dream (1740–1776)
Brief Description
A stunning and sweeping new work of narrative history from bestselling historian Peter Moore, tracing the Enlightenment ideas that birthed the United States of America. Bestselling historian Peter Moore traces how Enlightenment ideas were exported from Britain and put into practice in America—where they became the...
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Description
A stunning and sweeping new work of narrative history from bestselling historian Peter Moore, tracing the Enlightenment ideas that birthed the United States of America.
Bestselling historian Peter Moore traces how Enlightenment ideas were exported from Britain and put into practice in America—where they became the most successful export of all time, the American Dream.
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is frequently evoked today as shorthand for the American Dream. But this is a line with a surprising history. Rather than being uniquely American, the vision it encapsulates—of a free and happy world—owes a great deal to British thinkers too.
Centred on the life of Benjamin Franklin and featuring figures like the cultural giant Samuel Johnson, the groundbreaking historian Catharine Macaulay, and the firebrand politician and revolutionary activist Thomas Paine, this book examines the generation that preceded the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It takes us back to a vital moment in the foundation of the West and tells a whole new story about the birth of the United States of America—and some of the key principles by which we live to this day.
'Absorbing... fascinating... eloquent' THE TIMES
'Engaging and thoroughly reader-friendly' TELEGRAPH
'Wonderfully absorbing and stimulating' SARAH BAKEWELL
'Deft insights and in clear prose' ALAN TAYLOR
'A gripping account' STELLA TILLYARD
'Rollicking...compulsive readability' WASHINGTON POST
'A great read' LADY HALE
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781529922479
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 05 June 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Vintage
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 32.0mm
Width: 130.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 377g
Pages: 512
About the Author
Peter Moore is a writer, journalist and lecturer. He teaches creative writing at the University of Oxford. His debut, Damn His Blood, reconstructed a rural murder in 1806. His second, The Weather Experiment, a New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year', traced early efforts to forecast the weather. His latest book, Endeavour, was a multiple book of the year and a Sunday Times bestseller. He presents a history podcast called Travels Through Time.
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