Darrin M. McMahon: “Certain Unalienable Rights: Pursuing and Obtaining Happiness in 18th century America”

Certain Unalienable Rights: Pursuing and Obtaining Happiness in 18th century America

Do human beings have a right to happiness? That novel question animated discussions across the Atlantic world in the 18th century, and in America it was taken up explicitly by the architects of the United States. In this talk, Darrin M. McMahon, PhD, the David W. Little Class of 1944 Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Dartmouth College, will discuss how Americans conceived happiness at the time of the country’s founding and how they aimed to bring it about.

Please join us for light refreshments and beer/wine at 4:30pm.

Presented by the Humanities Institute. Free event! Register at fairfield.edu/artsminds