Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Rewriting Happiness

A curious tour through America’s promises, tracing how independence shaped work, wealth, and everyday freedom.

A tidy desktop scene in photographic realism featuring an open hardcover book titled "Pursuit of Happiness" embossed in gold on a deep teal cover, resting beside a thin tablet displaying a colorful bar graph made of tiny illustrated smiley faces instead of bars. The surfaces sit on a warm oak desk with visible grain, and a small, vibrant potted plant with round leaves adds a pop of green. Soft afternoon light filters from the left, creating pleasing highlights on the tablet glass and gentle shadows under the book’s edges. Shot from a three-quarter overhead angle with moderate depth of field, the background fades into soft blur, including faintly visible sticky notes with doodled icons of a key, a heart, and a coin. The mood is playful yet studious, perfect for a nonprofit analyzing well-being data.
A clean, modern chalkboard-style infographic drawn on a black slate panel resting on a pale birch desk, all rendered in crisp photographic detail. On the slate, three large illustrated words—"Life," "Liberty," and "Happiness"—are written in bright pastel chalk, each surrounded by playful icons: a tiny beating heart, an open padlock, and an upward-swooping arrow with a smiling star at the tip. Colored chalk sticks lie casually nearby, some leaving faint dust on the surface. Diffused overcast light from above eliminates harsh shadows, creating an inviting, classroom-like mood. Captured from a slightly elevated angle with a balanced composition, the scene feels approachable and educational, perfect for exploring economic ideas in a fun, accessible way.

Why the Declaration Still Matters

We examine how 1776 ideals collide with present-day realities of labor, debt, land, and democracy, translating big questions into accessible stories, data visualizations, and public programs that help communities claim their own life, liberty, and happiness.

Explore Mission

Our Contributors

A colorful game-board-style map of an imaginary town printed on thick, slightly textured cardstock and laid flat on a white tabletop, captured in high-resolution photographic style. The board is divided into playful zones labeled "Life," "Liberty," and "Happiness," each illustrated with tiny buildings: a bright community library, an open public square with a stylized fountain, and a cheerful park with oversized flowers and a rainbow slide. Small wooden tokens shaped like houses, books, and little suns are placed on various spaces. Overhead softbox lighting creates even illumination with barely-there shadows, enhancing the printed colors without glare. Photographed from a top-down bird’s-eye view, the composition is clean and organized, suggesting a fun, approachable way to navigate complex socio-economic questions rooted in the Declaration of Independence.

Aarav Sharma

CEO

Historian linking colonial ideals to today’s wage gaps, housing policy, and community resilience movements.

A whimsical balance scale made from polished brass stands centered on a matte navy backdrop, depicted with photographic realism. On one side of the scale rests a tiny, detailed model of a cozy cottage with a bright red door; on the other side, a transparent jar filled with multicolored tokens labeled with miniature words like "health," "education," and "play." The scale hovers at near-perfect equilibrium. A soft golden hour spotlight from the upper right creates gentle highlights on the brass and subtle reflections on the glass jar, while the background fades into velvety blur. Shot straight-on with a shallow depth of field and plenty of negative space, the mood is optimistic and curious, inviting viewers to consider how resources and happiness can balance in a just society.

Mateo García

CTO

Educator designing curricula that make founding documents vivid for classrooms, libraries, and grassroots workshops.

An oversized, vintage-style key made of brushed copper lies diagonally across a navy-blue cloth-covered journal embossed with the word "Liberty" in silver, all captured in crisp photographic detail. The journal rests on a light concrete surface scattered with small, playful cardboard cutouts: a tiny courthouse, a simple house, a scale, and a smiling sun, each in bold, flat colors. Directional studio lighting from the upper left creates a dramatic yet gentle highlight along the key’s contours and subtle shadows from each cutout, adding depth without feeling harsh. Shot from a slightly elevated angle with the key in the rule-of-thirds intersection, the surrounding elements softly blur while remaining recognizable. The mood is reflective and slightly playful, suggesting that unlocking liberty involves tangible structures and everyday economic realities.

Zuri Ndlovu

Engineer

Organizer building partnerships with unions, faith groups, and students to test liberty in practice.

A neatly arranged set of three glass beakers sits on a glossy white lab bench, each beaker filled with different brightly colored, semi-transparent liquid labeled "Life," "Liberty," and "Happiness" in clean, modern typography, all rendered in photographic realism. Floating within each liquid are tiny, suspended icons: a heartbeat line and leaf in the first, a tiny key and open lock in the second, a smiling star and book in the third. Cool, even studio lighting from above and slightly behind creates luminous glows inside the beakers and crisp reflections on the bench surface. Captured at eye level with a shallow depth of field, the central beaker is in sharpest focus while the others gently soften, suggesting an experimental, playful approach to analyzing the components of a just and thriving society.

Leila Haddad

Designer

Researcher gathering data on inequality, civic participation, and policy, grounding every story in evidence.

A close-up, photographic image of a transparent glass jar labeled "Common Good" in friendly, hand-lettered script, sitting on a light maple shelf. Inside the jar are not coins, but tiny, vividly colored wooden icons: a miniature schoolhouse, a tree, a house, a heart, and a tiny gear, all stacked in a playful jumble. Behind the jar, three slim, brightly colored books stand upright with visible spines reading "Life," "Liberty," and "Happiness" in bold typography. Gentle window light from the right creates a soft glow through the glass, casting colorful reflections and faint shadows onto the wall. Captured at eye level with shallow depth of field, the jar is in sharp focus while the background books blur slightly, creating a warm, hopeful atmosphere that hints at shared resources and collective prosperity.

Our Living Legacy

Support Work
A weathered parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence spread across a rustic wooden table, every looping letter and ink blot crisply legible in photographic realism. Around it lie scattered symbolic objects: a small brass scale tipped between a tiny house and a stack of coins, a miniature broken chain, and a bright enamel pin shaped like a smiling sun. Soft morning light from an unseen nearby window washes across the parchment, emphasizing its texture and subtle creases while casting playful shadows from the objects. Shot at eye level with a gentle shallow depth of field, the foreground text is in sharp focus while the edges blur softly, creating a thoughtful yet whimsical atmosphere that hints at the socio-economic layers hidden in the founding document.