Similarities Between Emerson And Thomas Jefferson

When talking about the Declaration of Independence in regards to the pursuit of happiness, individuals often tend to have an inaccurate definition of this phrase. When Jefferson referred to the “pursuit of happiness”, he defined it as giving people freedom and liberty to develop upon their unique talents, abilities, as well as attributes to their maximum potential. However, given the age in time, Jefferson had lived in a self-sufficient community, where people would integrate their unique abilities to help better the community by meshing it together like one large well-oiled machine. He had imagined the ideal character who fits this definition, that is, a self-made farmer that worked to raise crops and other goods to meet him and his family’s

He made examples out of the farmer and artisan, who were enriched with a defined skill set that they shared with people in the society. Jefferson’s end goal was to achieve a self-sufficient, original, community full of authentic and genuine personnel. He goes on to give a thorough description of a Unitarian minister named Ralph Waldo Emerson, an outstanding individual that exemplifies authenticity and a genuine spirit. Emerson’s belief was focused solely on perfecting one’s soul and expected people to think for themselves, not someone controlling their destiny. A genuine human in Emerson’s eyes would be someone that has acted in a compassionate way that stems from the heart and soul of this person. However, there was another person that had exemplified the characteristics of an authentic individual. Henry David Thoreau had the belief that one needed to follow a “higher law”, the law of moral consciousness that deliberately denies the “man-made” laws. He believed that man-made laws were in support of wrongful doings as well as the denial of a person’s rightful path to finding their own happiness. This article shows that Jefferson, Emerson, and Thoreau had very similar beliefs in regards to fulfilling their pursuit of happiness. These men defined the pursuit of happiness as sharing one’s talents and abilities, to