Life, Liberty, and Property

[Talyn]

Thomas Jefferson was strongly influenced by John Locke's philosophy of Natural Rights, which included the right to "Life, Liberty, and Property." Why, then, did Jefferson include "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence?

Whatever Happened to Property Rights?

 

[BET7]

Good post Talyn. I had also thought (before reading the article), that the belief that slaves were considered as property in that time period, might not sit well with all of the Founding Fathers or original colonies. Additionally, I considered that it might be a Benjamin Franklin change or suggestion, as Franklin did make some suggestions on the document's first draft.
Interesting thought on native Americans and their rights on property that they lived on, could complicate matters in the future.

 

[Peglegjoe]

Maybe he wasn't a materialistic guy, and figured instead of "stuff" we should focus on "happiness"?

 

[SimonRL]

Maybe he wasn't a materialistic guy, and figured instead of "stuff" we should focus on "happiness"?

It doesn’t take much reading to discover that Jefferson rather enjoyed the finer things in life.

 

[Recusant]

Perhaps at that time only the folks that were truly happy were those who owned lots of stuff!

 

[BobM]

Maybe he wasn't a materialistic guy, and figured instead of "stuff" we should focus on "happiness"?

Possibly a bit of both?
Materialism is one thing, true happiness is another and doesn't need materialism to be itself.
Being just overly materialistic can be a terrible anchor.
Would rather have happiness if had to choose between the two.
The best mix may be a mixture of the two.