Author Danielle S. Allen is set to present “The Pursuit of Happiness: On John Adams and Egalitarianism in the Declaration of Independence” on June 2, 2015.
The spring 2015 lecture series at the David Library of the American Revolution will conclude on Tuesday, June 2 with “The Pursuit of Happiness: On John Adams and Egalitarianism in the Declaration of Independence,” a lecture by Danielle S. Allen. The lecture is set to take place at 7:30 p.m. in Stone Hall at the David Library, 1201 River Road in Washington Crossing, Pa.
Allen is the author of “Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality.” Allen’s book illuminates the three themes of the Declaration: equality, liberty, and the abiding power of language. In her talk at the David Library, Allen will consider John Adams, who she believes played a much more significant role in the development of the Declaration of Independence than is conventionally recognized.
Danielle S. Allen is a world-renown political theorist with degrees from Princeton, Harvard and Kings College, Cambridge. She taught at University of Chicago where she was Dean of the Division of Humanities from 2004 to 2007. Currently, she is UPS Foundation Professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton. In the fall she will join Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences as a professor in the Government Department and serve as Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.
In addition to “Our Declaration,” Allen is the author of “Why Plato Wrote,” “Talking to Strangers: Anxieties of Citizenship Since Brown v. Board of Education” and “The World of Prometheus: The Politics of Punishing in Democratic Athens.” Her talk at the David Library will be followed by a book signing reception.
Admission to the lecture is free, but reservations are required. Call (215) 493-6776 ext. 100, or email rsvp@dlar.org.
For more information visit dlar.org.
