An American Journey: 1. The Pursuit of Happiness

James Naughtie examines the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States. In this major new series marking America's 250th anniversary, James travels through time and across the landscape to discover how the Declaration of Independence embedded the idea of a country founded on what its authors described as 'self-evident' truths – that everyone’s inalienable rights included ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ In this first episode James begins with the 'pursuit of happiness' – the American search for opportunity. He begins on the site of the original gold rush in northern California, before journeying to farms and factories; small towns and big cities across the American Midwest. As he does, he reveals how from Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, to President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, Americans have always seen the connection between economic and democratic freedom - the ability to choose their own fates, and the fate of the country. Producer: Giles Edwards.

You can listen to An American Journey: 1. The Pursuit of Happiness online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

An American Journey: 1. The Pursuit of Happiness is an episode from Understand: The Economy by BBC.

This episode is 42:36 long.

This episode was published on Jan 26, 2026.

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